Pandering for fun and profit...
I was watching a newscast yesterday in which the widow of Jackie Robinson, Rachel, was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of her deceased husabnd. Long overdue, if you ask me, since the man was not only a true pioneer, a model citizen and a heck of a ballplayer, but a bona-fide role model in a world that tosses that description aropund all too easily. What Jackie Robinson had to endure to be accepted in society, let alone Major league baseball, was horrendous, and he did it with style, grace and class. He let his abilities and his character do his talking for him.

What I couldn't figure out for the life of me, though, was what was John Kerry doing on the same stage?

Apparently, Kerry had something to do with getting the medal awarded in the first place. yet another example of Senator Do-Nothing going about justifying his continued federal paycheck. Massachusetts, for all I know, has no place in the Jackie Robinson story. What possible connection vis-a-vis Kerry and Robinson could there be? Then it struck me: the man is campaigning again, and he has to be seen with every black person of repute in order to get the message across --- I 'care' about you.

Another piece out of place on that stage was Jesse Jackson. Like a bad cold, Jacskon just does not seem to go away. Discredit him and he's still there. Prove him to be a liar, and still he remains. Jesse is an anachronism, but somehow, manages to make himself releveant, or at least visible. Makes no sense to me.

Unless, of course, the idea is to pander, which was the purpose of the entire exercise yesterday. If I were President Bush, I would have demanded that jesse Jackson and John Kerry get the hell off th epodium before I stepped on it. I wouldn;t have given the the opportunity for opportunism. But that's just the kind of guy Bush is: he forgives his enemies, I guess.

To the Robinson family, I pass along my heartfelt appreciation and congratulations that Jackie's achievments continue to receive the recognition they so richly deserve. To the Kerrys and Jacksons I pass along my heartfelt disgust.