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Quote of the Day: Charles Krauthammer
There is a black-and-white photograph of us, two boys alone. He’s maybe 11, I’m 7. We’re sitting on a jetty, whose jutting piles of rock that little beach towns throw down at half-mile intervals to hold back the sea. In the photo, nothing but sand, sea and sky, the pure elements of our summers together. We are both thin as rails, tanned to blackness and dressed in our summer finest: bathing suits and buzz cuts. Marcel’s left arm is draped around my neck with that effortless natural easefulness — and touch of protectiveness — that only older brothers know.
Whenever I look at that picture, I know what we were thinking at the moment it was taken: it will forever be thus. Ever brothers. Ever young. Ever summer.
My brother Marcel died on Tuesday, January 17 [2006]. It was winter. He was 59.
— Charles Krauthammer, Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics
Charles Krauthammer is still recovering from his surgery performed last August. I miss him. His writing, his dry sense of humor, his brilliance and his absence from a regular appearance on Fox News Special Report has created a hole in their commentary. I decided I wanted a quote that would remind us of a side of him that isn’t often seen.
In this essay, Krauthammer reminds us of those days when life was filled with carefree summers, sweet relationships, simple times and sometimes tragic losses. In spite of a diving accident that left him paralyzed, his life has been a testament to resilience and fortitude, as he changed careers from psychiatry to commentary. And we have all been blessed with his insights and conservative views. We can also send our prayers to a man who was also a brother once, is a husband and father, and a man who knows how to find his way through loss and heartache.
I hope we will see him back, and soon.
Published in Culture
I wasn’t going to weigh in here, but, after I’ve seen some others, I decided to.
The way some people use the word “establishment”, it is like they are calling someone a Nazi. All establishment means is the ones who govern. When we broke away from England, George Washington, in time, became the head of the establishment, as President. Coming up to modern times, Ronald Reagan became the establishment, and we are grateful he did. It seems to me that this has become a child-like impulse, to demonize the establishment. We ought to get over it.
I think what’s tricky is everyone, everyone, has some “establishment” beliefs or qualities, unless they’ve transformed into a completely new human being. I can honestly say that many of the writers and commentators who don’t like Trump are honorable people, I like many of them, and I also trust them. But I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. George, part of the difficulty can be insisting that people do what seems logical and practical to you, like letting go of their hurt disappointment and anger and moving on . Sometimes people just don’t want to, or they’re not ready to. They feel betrayed by politicians, commentators, writers and others, and they are just not ready to let go of those feelings and beliefs. I think you are motivated by your belief that they should move on; that’s really not for you to decide. I prefer to let everyone be wherever they are. I avoid reading posts of people who insist on exacerbating the divisions–even if they think they are right–on either side.
It’s too late for that. The politics of blame has thoroughly infiltrated both parties at this point.
Godspeed, Dr. Krauthammer.
You bring up a really good point, @umbrafractus. In some ways we are behaving just as badly as the Left; we justify it by saying they have it coming to them, or we have a right to act that way. Hey, you should write a post on that, UF! Are we becoming them?
Susan, I think I understand you. But you are just plain wrong about why I persist in speaking about Trump. However, now is not the time, nor is this post the place to get into it. I respect you enough not to pursue it. I hope you can respect me enough to understand that my reasons are more complex than not Getting Over It.
I don’t want to discuss this further because that’s not what this thread is for.
Again, my prayers for a good man and a great thinker.
I missed this post somehow, but I’m glad I found it because I didn’t even know he was gone. I haven’t been watching the news as much as I used to because it usually has a bad effect on my mood. I love Krauthammer even when I don’t agree with him.
By the way, for those of us who don’t watch cable news, have they said what the surgery was for? Is it relayed to his paralysis?
I appreciate your not getting into it, George, but I am only quoting you in your comment just before:
” It seems to me that this has become a child-like impulse, to demonize the establishment. We ought to get over it.”
I was not saying you should “get over it,” but referring to your comment about others.
I’ve seen no information on that. It was pre-planned, so apparently it wasn’t an emergency.
Why?
Well, in the context of what I was saying, I meant that people should get over saying silly things about the establishment. As I said, I wasn’t gonna say anything, but a couple commented on the phrase. so I thought I’d put in my two cents. It’s been something I wanted to say for a long time.
By the way, I’ve written several Posts that have nothing to do with Trump. I wrote one this morning, about Television Through The Years.
They/he never said, but perhaps, maintenance on a diaphragm pacemaker, or another implanted assistive device?