By now we all know the thrilling story of the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners. The world watched as one by one they came up to family, friends and freedom, saved by the expertise and technology of Chile and many other countries. Surely no one would politicize such an event. We have had enough politics with the election only a few days away. Right? Not quite.
Chris Matthews began the “Let Me Finish” segment of his “Hardball” program very well, and then he seemed to go wild. Matthews sounded almost like Glenn Beck at his Aug. 28 rally, but not for long. “What a story of faith, hope and charity, and yes, community,” he began, but then came the diatribe against conservatives. “That last word, community, drives those on the right crazy – community. Theirs is the popular notion of every man for himself, grab all you can, screw the masses, cash out the government, go it alone, the whole cowboy catechism.”
Matthews must have crawled out of a hole deeper than the 33 miners. What kind of a church does he attend that he has never heard the word “community?” It was conservatives who started the rescue missions in the inner cities from New York to San Francisco, and from Minneapolis to Miami. It was conservatives who started thousands of parochial and independent Christian schools across our nation. Who started the church-sponsored hospitals in our great land: Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, not to mention Jewish and others? It was conservatives.
What kind of families have started thousands of home schools across our nation? What kind of people have gone around the world building churches, schools, hospitals and helping those in need? Again, conservatives.
Can’t we just rejoice that the miners were saved and save the politics for another time and topic? Can’t we just think about things that are “true, good, right, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8),” and save the politics for the politicians? On the other hand, maybe there is a politician who fits the above adjectives. I wonder who that might be?
WAYNE E. SMITH
Auburn
