The Gene Pool Weakens

Sunday is Father’s Day and hopefully you’ll be celebrating with your father. Whether you call him father, Dad, or Daddy, if he is still living and you can’t be with him, just CALL him. If your father has died, honor him on that day by remembering the good times that you shared and the contribution he made in making you the successful person/father/mother you are today. 

In today’s society, it’s hard to be a good parent, especially a father.  In the days of Henry Mitchell, it was much easier.  Remember, Henry Mitchell was the father of Dennis “The Menace” Mitchell.  Today we would describe Dennis as a “wild child.”  Henry would work in his office job all day and come home to hear about Dennis’ latest antics.  Then he would smile and give Dennis a little pep talk.  Today, Dennis would be labeled ADD/HD and be placed on medication.  Mr. Wilson, the next-door-neighbor, would press charges against Dennis or obtain a restraining Order against him.  Dennis would have a juvenile record and probably be ejected from school.  Today we don’t have time to be patient with children who aren’t cut with the same cookie cutter. 

It’s interesting to look at famous fathers and sons and try to determine who is the better man of the two (or three in some cases).  We could compare, Hank Williams, Hank Williams, Jr. and Hank Williams, III.  I vote for the father.  We could compare Tim Russert and Luke Russert.  Too soon to tell.   

The three Bushes are a good study.  Daddy Bush, George H. W., was born in wealth but cut his own path by joining the Navy when Pearl Harbor was bombed, instead of going to Harvard at age 18.  He earned his flight wings a year later.  His plane was shot down and he was the lone survivor; eventually being rescued by an American Submarine.  Upon his return, instead of joining his father’s Wall Street firm, he set out on his own to find oil in West Texas.  He succeeded, and after his family’s financial future was secure, he began following in his father’s political footsteps.  You know the rest of the story.  He was elected the 41^st President of the United States.  He afforded this country good, solid, moderate leadership.  He has been a humanitarian since his retirement. 

Now take George W. Bush.  PLEASE!  He was totally the benefactor of the respect earned by his Daddy.  But that’s okay.  That’s what being a good parent is all about; providing opportunities for our children that we had or that we never had.  In this case, it was about a parent getting a son into Yale, getting a son into the Texas National Guard to avoid the Viet Nam War, and paving the political pathway to the Presidency.  George W. was not ready for “prime-time” as they say, and took us into a war based on a lie.  We  will be fighting this war forever, while he sits on his porch and paints.  He left us with one timeless quote from 2001.  “Teach a child to read and he or her will pass a literacy test.” 

I think I have made the case that the gene pool weakens, so don’t even think of voting for the other brother, Jeb.  He already has more baggage than a passenger train can haul and he hasn’t even formally announced yet.

Reverend Billy Graham has preached to more people than anyone in history. I daresay he has led more people to Christ than anyone in history.  He has been on the cover of all the biggest magazines and subject of innumerable feature magazine and newspaper articles.  He has been in the Top Ten Most Admired Men in the World for over fifty years.   He has served as counsel to Presidents.  He has won most any award you can name.  He has accomplished all this while never uttering hate speech or pitting one group of people against the other.

This week, Franklin Graham, heir to his father’s ministry, foundation, and gazillion dollars called for a boycott of gay friendly businesses.  He announced he was moving the gazillion dollars from Wells Fargo Bank because he saw a television ad for Wells Fargo portraying two females learning sign language so they could adopt a deaf child.  He then moved the gazillion dollars to BB&T.  Turns out, BB&T not only hosted a same-sex wedding in one of their banks, but also sponsors the annual Miami Gay Pride Parade.  You, Franklin Graham, “ain’t your Daddy!”