A Sad Anniversary (and a Sad Observation)

My friends, this post cannot wait until tomorrow.
Normally your faithful Peasant posts on Thursdays,
with exceptions made for a hectic schedule ahead
or for an article which is of such timely importance
that it cannot wait; this post falls under the latter
category.

On this date, October 25, fifteen years ago, a dear friend
of mine who was a member of the United States Senate
and someone who was on the other side of the political
divide died in an airplane crash while on his way to a
tiny Iron Range town in northern Minnesota where he
was to attend the funeral of a supporter and friend;
Senator Paul Wellstone was just 58 and was flying with
his wife and a daughter, all of whom persihed along with
the pilot in their small chartered airplane. I met Paul
when he was meeting with his constituents at the
Minnesota State Fair (I lived in Minnesota at the time),
and we became fast friends despite being politically
diametrically opposed. Despite his strong liberal
bent, he did not turn up his nose at me, nor did he
make any cutting remarks about my conservatism.
We had a pleasant visit, and had several more over the
remaining years I lived in Minnesota, the last being on
the occasion of his book signing promotion at a
Barnes and Noble bookstore in Saint Paul, where I was
then living. He signed the copy of his book which I
had purchased, noting in his inscription that although
we didn't agree on many political matters he valued my
opinions and our friendship. I told him likewise,
and that I would stay in touch with him after my move
back home to Milwaukee later that year.

Indeed, I wrote to Sen. Wellstone, and sent him a Christmas
card; although he was Jewish, he loved receiving Christmas
greetings from his Christian friends and supporters.
On October 25, 2002, while I popped in to visit my stock-
broker at his downtown Milwaukee office, I saw the
sad announcement of my friend's sudden death on my broker's
TV screen. Suddenly I was slack-jawed and deathly quiet
as I listened to the TV news commentator give the tragic
details of Sen. Wellstone's demise. I had intended to discuss
my portfolio with my broker, who was a good friend as well,
but we wound up talking about the senator and my friendship
with him, along with his willingness as an elected official to
listen with interest and sincerity to constituents who did
not share his political views and indeed did not vote for him
when he was elected and re-elected to the Senate, and truly
cared about people, not merely giving lip service to that effect
like so many left-wing politicians routinely do. Indeed,
the senator had many friends on the Right as well as on the
Left, and he worked tirelessly to make his political ideas work
for all Minnesotans and for all Americans, working to demon-
strate that government can be a loyal and dependable
servant, a rather caring and helpful leviathan. Although your
loyal Peasant never voted for Paul, and was skeptical of his
legislative ideas, I always had the utmost respect and regard
for him, and was (and always shall be) so very proud
to call him my friend.

When his memorial service was held, many Democrat politicians
and activists came to pay their respects, but also made pointed
political statements as well, turning Sen. Wellstone's service
into a full-fledged political rally. To this day conservative
talk show hosts on the radio and TV play tapes and videos
of this memorial service cum left-wing hootenanny, showing
how the Left works to politicize everything. Your respectful
Peasant shall not state how I think my late friend would have
thought of this spectacle and what his reaction would have been,
but I shall venture to state for myself that the Left is relentless,
shameless, tasteless, and single-minded in its pursuit of
pushing their statist agenda upon the American people.
They have only become more aggressive in the years since
Sen. Wellstone's death.

My friend Sen. Paul Wellstone was a man of honesty, integrity,
true compassion, decorum and class, unlike much of his political
brethren. The Peasant misses him more than I can ever say.
It's a shame that while so many lefties remember and revere
this humble public servant, they do not endeavor to emulate him.




MEM