October 8, 2011

The Week in Review

Chris Christie is not running for President, and neither (gasp!) is Sarah Palin.  It's looking more and more likely that the eventual Republican nominee will likely be one of the currently declared candidates.  Good news for the Democrats, in my opinion.  No one has really caught fire.

Rick Perry's hunting grounds continue to be discussed.  I personally found it ironic that Herman Cain spoke out against it.  I mean, Godfather Pizza is not exactly an ethnically sensitive name, is it?

The Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth passed away at the ripe old age of 89.  This in itself is miraculous for a man who had more physical attacks directed at him than anyone else in the Civil Rights Movement, including a bomb that went off in his bedroom over 50 years ago, at which time his mattress curved around him and saved his life.  He spoke his mind and was rarely wrong.  Some will say it wasn't fair that Rev. Shuttlesworth's death was overshadowed by that of Steve Jobs a few hours later, but the reverend wasn't about the fame game.  Even during his accomplishments as a pivotal figure in the movement, he took a back seat to MLK, Abernathy, and others.  But he outlived them all, surviving long enough to become a revered figure in Birmingham, the city once so hostile to him.  The city renamed its airport Birmingham-Shuttlesworth in 2008.  He lived long enough to see Barack Obama become the first black President the same year.  Fred Shuttlesworth's efforts for black Americans to live their lives with dignity and the rights automatically granted to other Americans will never be forgotten.

Steve Jobs' life was 33 years shorter than that of Rev. Shuttlesworth, but Jobs crammed many accomplishments into the 56 years he was given.  He remained active in technology development while living with the pancreatic cancer that eventually killed him.  Like the reverend, Jobs could be obstinate and argumentative..and like the reverend, he got the job done.  This child given up for adoption at birth, who later dropped out of college, will go down in history as an innovator in the vein of old-time greats Edison and Ford.

Two losses for America. Two gains for Democrats.  Let time march on...