Saturday, July 12, 2008

Rest In Peace, Mr. Snow

When I got up this morning sad news greeted me when I turned on my computer. Tony Snow, journalist and former White House Press Secretary, died today of colon cancer. He was 53.

I was shocked and deeply saddened when I saw the headline on my computer screen. I thought Mr. Snow was winning his battle with cancer. The last time I saw him on tv he was upbeat and confident. He looked tired and older than his 53 years but he was cheerful and full of life. Now, only a few months later, he is gone.

I'm sure the fanatic, heartless, left-wing blogosphere will savage Mr. Snow in death as they did him in life. Snow was the target of some viscious posts on the Daily Kos and other liberal websites. His cancer diagnosis was celebrated and liberal bloggers gleefully wished for his death. And he wasn't the only conservative to be so treated by the "compassionate" left. It's time for decent people on all sides to reject such rabid hatred and remember that, no matter how strongly we may disagree with those on the other side they, too, are human beings whose suffering is no cause for celebration.

Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow was a bold, unapologetic conservative who served his country and his profession well. When faced with the worst that life can give you he responded with the best. He was always upbeat, always positive, always optimistic. And he will be sorely missed. Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow: June 1, 1955-July 12, 2008. Rest in peace and goodbye.

15 comments:

Seane-Anna said...

Clearly, "anonymous", you didn't get the point of my post. You're one of those "compassionate" liberals who believes that hate resides only in conservatives and Christians. Bastard.

Len said...

Question #1: How do you know that "anonymous" is a liberal?

Question #2: Isn't the word compassionate usually associated with conservatives?

Question #3: Obviously you didn't get the point of your post... what with calling anonymous a bastard. Okay, not really a question. More of an observation.

Observation #2: I'm a liberal. I'm also a Christian. Obviously I do not hate Christians. I also do not hate conservatives. I just disagree with them. It is possible, you know, to disagree with someone without hating them.

Observation #3: Sheesh.

WomanHonorThyself said...

rest in peace indeed.
Long time no see girl..come on over!:)

Anonymous said...

Rest in peace, but also good riddance.

JMK said...

Now that's amusing.

Len claims to be a "Christian Liberal" (they do exist) who merely disagrees with Conservatives, while calling Seane-Anna out on responding to an anonymous troll as a "bastard," while having no trouble with the vile, meanspirited comment made by the anonymous troll.

Liberals tend to revile Conservatives, even charming, kind-hearted ones like Tony Snow.

The problem many Conservatives have with those Left of Center is the hyprocrisy of the Left.

Liberals espouse and embrace political correctness, Conservatives don't.

As a Conservative I don't feel constrained by PC because I reject it as a philosophy, BUT i expect Liberals to always adhere to PC when even and especially when confronting those they disagree with, as it's hypocritical for Leftists to abandon the "non-offensive," PC demeanor they espouse when they themselves attempt to communicate with those they disagree.

Conservatives have staked out the ground of the competitive, meat-eating, confrontational, avaricious persona, while Liberals have largely staked out the cooperative, vegan, non-confrontational, redistributive (caring/sharing) persona...and each side should to avoid hypocrisy) stick to their own mantle.

The question of which worldview is more sustainable for an increasingly developping world, seems rather obvious - the competitive, confrontational, avaricious worldview has been responsible for ALL of man's great achievements and developments to date, and is clearly our best hope for the future.

If Leftists are EVER going to try and have their worldview taken seriously, they MUST be able to strictly adhere to it when THEY seek to communicate with those they vehemently disagree with.

Anything less, is ceding the point that the cooperative, non-confrontational, non-offensive perosnal code is unworkable.

To date, by all accounts, that seems very much to be the case.

Seane-Anna said...

Len,this is for you.

1. How do I know "anonymous" is a liberal? Well, technically I don't. However, his/her/its comment fits right in with the many hateful things that liberals have said about conservatives who are or have faced serious illnesses.

Liberals like George Clooney, who said that Charlton Heston deserved to get Alzheimer's disease because he supported gun rights. And Cher, who mocked Bob Dole's paralyzed arm, an injury he received in WWII. And the gay activists who rejoiced over Ronald Reagan's diagnosis of Alzheimer's. And the leftist bloggers who were gleeful over Tony Snow's battle against cancer. When you look at all of that I think it's quite logical to conclude that "anonymous" is left of center.

2. The word compassionate is NOT usually associated with conservatives by liberals. There is that phrase "compassionate conservatism", and that's probably what you're thinking of. However, that phrase was created by conservative journalist Marvin Olasky precisely to combat liberals smearing conservatives as heartless people. So, Len, you're just plain wrong on this one.

3. The point of my post, Len, is that we shouldn't celebrate the suffering of people we disagree with. When I called "anonymous" a bastard I was NOT rejoicing in his/her/its suffering. Rather, I was expressing my disgust that he/she/it was doing just that.

4. I'm going to go out on a limb on this one. Len, you say you're a liberal and a Christian. I say you ARE a liberal but only THINK you're a Christian. Why? Because a Christian wouldn't support a socio-political ideology that rejects the letter and the spirit of Judeo-Christian moral and civic doctrine.

Liberalism supports homosexuality, abortion, and pre-marital sex. It fervently rejects male headship in the home and actively works to undermine parental authority over children. This is all in direct contradiction to the Judeo-Christian moral order.

Also, the Bible posits no role for government in caring for the needy. Yes, the Old Testament tells farmers to leave food in their fields for the poor, but the poor are to gather the food themselves, not depend on government to do it. The OT also teaches that showing partiality to the poor, a key value of modern liberalism, is unjust. Yes, UNJUST. I bet you won't hear that in your church, Len.

The New Testament isn't any better, from a liberal standpoint. There, we're told that a believer who doesn't support his own family is worse than an infidel. We're also told that a widow must be cared for by her children, or by the church ONLY IF SHE HAS NO FAMILY. Government welfare just isn't there. I could go on but I think you get the point, Len.

You are right about one thing, Len. It IS possible to disagree with people without hating them. I just think that's something most liberals aren't capable of. Perhaps you're an exception. I'd like to think so.

Len said...

seanne-anna:

Perhaps you are correct. Perhaps I only "think" I'm a Christian.

I never said I agreed with anonymous when he called Tony Snow what he did. I'm sorry I didn't make that clear. I just have a bit of problem with people who accuse others of harboring hatred and then go around calling others names like "bastard" and the like. I have never, ever called anyone a bastard on my blog. That last time I remember calling anyone a bastard in real life was back when I was around 12 years old. I had heard the word somewhere and used it to describe my younger brother. I honestly do not believe I had ever seen my mother quite so angry, either before or since. Needless to say, it was the last time I ever called my brother a bastard.

You say I support "a socio-political ideology that rejects the letter and the spirit of Judeo-Christian moral and civic doctrine." That's funny, because I believe that is exactly what conservatives espouse. But then, I'm a Liberal who only thinks he's a Christian, so what whould I know?

Seane-Anna said...

Len, you're engaging in the typically liberal habit of selective hearing, or should I say reading? I'll say this one more time and slowly so even you can understand it.

I.Did.Not.Call."Anonymous".A.Bastard.Out.Of.Hate.But.Out.Of.Disgust.At.His/Her/Its.Rejoicing.In.Another.Person's.Suffering. Got it? People who rejoice in others' suffering, who engage in rank schadenfreude ARE bastards, unless those suffering are truly evil, e.g., Reds, Nazis, Islamic terrorists, and the like.

And as for my contention that you are a liberal but only think you're a Christian, I noticed that you didn't address any of the specific points I raised in support of that assertion. Cat got your tongue?

Seane-Anna said...

Hmmmm. The full text of the second paragraph in the above comment didn't print out. Oh well, I doubt if any liberal would've grasped it anyway.

Jay said...

hmnmm....

I haven't seen anybody here claim to be a liberal say anything at all hateful or even impolite. Why, I haven't even seen a liberal question the religious convictions of another here on this post.

I've seen plenty...but not by anybody claiming to be a liberal.

Len said...

I usually refrain from Bible discussions, seane-anna, because anybody can pretty much get out of it whatever serves their purpose.

The Bible says we are all our brothers' keepers. It also says "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." That's what most people call The Golden Rule, by the way. There is also "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." That one is really popular with conservatives. And "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." It tells us that we should "bear one another's burdens." Then there's "Give, and it shall be given to you. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return."

Shall I go on?

You say that "Liberalism supports homosexuality, abortion, and pre-marital sex." I say that Liberals believe, as stated in our Declaration of Independence, that all men (and women) are created equal and, as our Constitution states, are entitled to equal rights and equal protection under the laws of our land. Yes, we actually do believe that a woman has the right to control her own bodily functions. Where you get the pre-marital sex from, I don't know, but I'm sure you'll enlighten me.

As for celebrating the sufferings of those on the other side, there are those on both sides of the political spectrum who are guilty of that one. Believe me, it is not limited only to some (not all) on the left.

I know I'm not going to convince you or change your mind about anything, and I've really spent enough time and enough of your blog space on this. I always enjoy having somebody on the right tell me what I believe. Thanks for the discussion. Been fun and all. Ciao.

Roadhouse said...

"Sexist imperialist psycho"? "Good riddance"? If those aren't the words of a bastard, then I guess there is no such thing as bastards.

I wonder what you call someone who defends the words of a bastard, rather than condem them?

OOPS! I'M WRONGE!!!

I'm sure that Len and Jay are right. Anonymous and Arwen are obviously conservative Republicans. I bet they're both staff writers for National Review and stumped for Fred Thompson last year.
I can't imagine what gave you the idea that those two were liberals...that would be crazy talk.

Shame on you Seane-Anna.

MTWC said...

It was sad to see him go.
- Clay in Nashville

JMK said...

"I haven't seen anybody here claim to be a liberal say anything at all hateful or even impolite." (Jay)
<
<
Given that Tony Snow, a man beloved by media people Left & Right, and a man of unwavering personal humility, decency and charm, a man even Liberal colleagues admired for his innate decency, the ONLY people who've exuded any personal animus or vitriol over him have been have been some far-Left loons. As far-Left loons, they share the same Left-of-Center political region that Liberals do, thus the generic "Liberals."

In other words, they don't have to CLAIM to be Liberals/Leftists, their words speak for themselves.

Moreover, IF "sexist imperialist psycho," doesn't appear either hateful or even impolite to you, you have some pretty serious persoanl judgment issues.

Anonymous said...

Out of all the rhetoric in some of these comments, I want to bring this back to what the post should be about. Honoring a man who had a heart and loved this country. God Bless his family and God Bless him. Tony Snow was a compassionate man and shouldn't be castigated after his untimely death.

-Robert-