Cause Du Jour

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~ As Terri Schaivo was nearing death, there were supporters lining the streets. There was the unbearable news coverage. To make matters worse, even the President put in his two cents worth, if only to prevent being upstaged by Congress. It was grandstanding in its truest form.
~ Not wanting to get of track with semantics, but the supporters/protestors lining the streets must have had their agendas questioned also. You could see them jostling and edging each other out of the way to get themselves on television. I wonder how many were nearly trampled every a time a microphone came in close proximity to them.
~ These people never even knew Terri or her family. They had no emotional ties. They neither cared for her nor had respect for her. She was quite simply a name on their banners, their rallying cry. Their cause nothing more than the current cause, the cause du jour if you will. There was no "remember the Alamo," or "remember Pearl Harbor."
~ It was more like, "Look at me! I'm on TV! I'm trying to save a life. Feed Terri!" That's what we saw, folks. The real heroes of the crowds were the ones with the signs. The bigger the sign, the bolder the lettering, determined whether a TV camera would pan their way. If their message was clever or profound enough, they stood even a better chance for national exposure.
~ Some would say that not everyone was protesting to be fashionable. Surely some of them were sincere! Perhaps, but those few weren't there when the announcement of her passing came. Within minutes of her death, they were again jostling and elbowing each other to clear the area. For the exodus, none of them wanted to be on television.
~ The crowd dispersed with nothing left to protest, nothing to advocate, and nothing to denounce. Shortly, only their abandoned signs and personal trash remained where once there stood a throng of champions.
~ Those who had not already done so, headed to their lawyers' offices. Hastily drawn up has been a myriad of Living Wills. Whether truly believing in the cause or not, few were those who wished to end up like the object of their attention. Most, nearly all, do not want to be placed on life support. Very few, if any, would want to be fed through a tube. Who wants to be kept alive by artificial means? Now their battle cry is, "Not me!"
~ reminiscent of "The Night of the living Dead," they are still out there groping, digging, and begging for a cause to pursue. They are scouring the newspapers, watching the news, listening to the radio, and even eavesdropping on others just to pick up a scent in the wind.
~ Some of them must be filled with dread. Are they left with the possibility of jumping onto the "free Michael Jackson" bandwagon? Worry not, fans of Zombies, they'll be back in force. Whenever, wherever there is a cause that needs a standard bearer, whether they believe in it or not, rest be assured, they'll be back! Listen, one of them is using his Terminator impression, "I'll be bawk!"
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(For a skewed view as a flag waver check out: http://bluedillydilly.blogspot.com
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No.97
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