A Tale of Two Stories

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times........"

Even Charles Dickens had a tough time telling one from the other. I direct your attention to two stories that surfaced this past week. They're important because they demonstrate the complete absence of common sense in America. On one hand, a man who is completely honest and truthful. On the other, just the opposite. So which one do you think the American people are rallying around? Well, let's take a look.

Story #1
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is being vilified by everyone from Republicans to members of his own party because, during the 2008 presidential campaign, he said that Barack Obama was electable because "he is light skinned, with no Negro dialect unless he wants to have one." In other words, he told the truth. I don't think anyone - if they're totally honest - disagrees with that statement one bit. What he's saying is that if Obama had looked and sounded like Al Sharpton or Pacman Jones, John McCain would be the president. So why is he being hung out to dry? Because he wasn't politically correct. You see, we've confused the words "truthful" and "insensitive" in this country to the point that we can't be truthful for fear of being insensitive. They're not the same thing.

To me, Harry Reid's only fault is having an uncanny grasp of the obvious. But in the eyes of the media and the liberal left, Harry's comments were harsh, insensitive, and required a sincere, heartfelt apology. In other words, he had to apologize for telling the truth.

Story #2
Mark McGwire, who broke Roger Maris' single season home run record in 1998, finally admitted to using steroids. Well, at least the suspense is over. This admission came just 5 short years after his famous "I'm not here to talk about the past" testimony before Congress in 2005. But here's the sad part - people from all over are lining up behind him in support. Cardinal's manager, Tony LaRussa said, "His willingness to admit mistakes, express his regret, and explain the circumstances that led him to use steroids add to my respect for him." Say what? We respect him because he finally told the truth after lying about it for 5 years? These are the same people who supported Pete Rose after he finally admitted to betting on games he participated in - after lying about it for years. "I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come,'' McGwire said. In other words, he didn't want to come clean until he had to. Makes me sick!

Now take a look at these two stories. One guy tells the truth right out of the chute and is crucified for it. The other lies for 5 years, then decides to tell the truth and is congratulated for his courage. What a country! Trust me, it's not often that I choose a politician over a baseball player, but this is one of them. It's a sad indictment of what we've come to as a society.

Maybe, in a few years, Bernie Madoff can apologize, give us a heartfelt "my bad", and rejoin society. I'm sure he's sorry.

Till next time..........