On The Death Of Senator Lindsay Graham . . .

From our friend Christine Flowers:

I only just now . . . had a chance to read some of the comments about Lindsey Graham. Many of them are kind, thoughtful, very appropriate to mark the passing of a combat veteran, a man who spent three decades in public service, a staunch ally of Israel and a genuinely blithe spirit and happy warrior.

But many more have been cruel, a shameful example of the degradation of our discourse. Interestingly, most of the cruelty comes from the same people who accuse Donald Trump of being arrogant, rude, insensitive, insulting and coarse. Hypocrites are often the last to recognize their own hypocrisy. But I am particularly upset at the veiled accusations that Senator Graham “might have been gay.” It’s used as an insult, which I would think no longer has a place in our society, especially among the “genocide-rainbow-transisgood-pro abortion” demographic that recoils at any suggestion that we are not “Free To Be, You And Me” ( gratuitous Marlo Thomas reference.)

They ignore the fact that he put his own life on hold to raise his little sister when their parents died. Imagine that sacrifice, in a very young man. Perhaps that’s the reason he had no wife. Nobody’s business.

Beyond that, it’s a cruel suggestion that single people have something wrong with them, that there must be some ulterior reason, a hidden shame or a congenital defect, that has left them facing life “alone.”

I am single, by choice. I am happy to live in a world filled with friends I love, family I cherish, pets I have and will yet mourn when they cross into eternity. I treasure my dinners alone, quiet moments with a book or a slice of cake, walks in the rain (sorry if this ironically sounds like a personal ad.) I am truly happy for those who have found what the Italians call their “anima gemella,” their twin spirit. I am wryly amused yet still happy for those who’ve done it over, and over…and over again.

But like Lindsey, I see my life through a single lens, crystal clear. And yes, I am straight even though I went to Bryn Mawr.

My point is that criticizing Lindsey for his politics is fine (I shared them almost 100%.) But mocking his choice to remain single is more of a commentary on the mediocrity of the heckler than it is about the great spirit of a glorious patriot. Who is home, now, with some friends who loved him.

H/T: facebook