The Annihilation Fountain Issue #9 - Yes, William, you can believe the President by Ron Callari




*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

On the heels of the House of Representatives' Judiciary case of impeachment against the President and the President's State of the Union address, I am presenting a response to William P. Summers' (the Chicago 3rd grader's) letter to Representative Henry J. Hyde. Similaritiy to Virginia O'Hanlon's letter to the New York Sun, 1897 is purely intentional:

Yes, William,
you can believe
the President

by Ron Callari

In answer to William P. Summers' letter to Senator Henry J. Hyde, Chairman of the House Judiciary committee, who as a third-grader in Room 304 at Chase Elementary School in Chicago asked: "If you cannot believe the President, who can you believe?"

William, your inclinations are wrong. They have been affected by a world less idealized, or as Francis P. Church so markedly pointed out, over a 100 years ago: "they have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age."

Truth lies in our constant striving to reach beyond the confines of the every day; it lies beyond personal gratification and self-serving rhetoric. And although it thrives within our reach, it sometimes alludes us. We get it mixed up with shame and guilt and it looks much better sometimes if we color it with the mask of falsehood. The 'whole truth' is more than just an oath. It is the peeling away of life's protective shields; it exposes our naked souls. And on some days, it is too difficult to be caught in its' blinding light. We face allegorically the Adam and Eve syndrome of disgrace, and potential exclusion.

Yes, William, there is a reason to believe the President. Because he is a compliment of all the Presidents that came before- some more trust worthy than others- some more willing to face the truth head on. But when they fell short, William, we should not question our belief so much, as we should examine the knowledge that we are just men. Men with all the flaws, foibles and uncertainties that are part and parcel of the human condition. Our salvation is however, in the fact that we are part of a greater whole- and if we fall short today- we will be bolstered up tomorrow by a better example. William Jefferson Clinton is limited by his human-ness. But in his weakness, he has done us a great service- he has reminded us that we need to be more strident in our search for the truth. His fall from grace is a moral signpost warning us they we may have dipped into another valley of forgetfulness. Without him, we might not have taken the time or the care to acknowledge our departure from the truth. But this William is just another temporary detour from the high road to moral character.

It is not so much that our political parties are at odds with each other over the fate of this one man. It is more important that they are taking the time to ask the questions. Because questions unanswered make truth unobtainable. Partisan discourse is necessary to shake the good and bad apples from the tree. If we just pull in one direction, we sometimes get only what we want, not the bounty that we can share with others.

So William, " Can we believe the President?" A resounding yes. Will he sometimes be more Machiavellian than Jeffersonian?- yes! Will he hurt others when he strays from the truth?- yes! Will he never reach a state of grace that is commendable?- probably not! Will he be lost because of his inability to define the truth in a noble and ideal manner?- probably not! But will today's President's humanity blend into the higher purpose of the office for which it stands? Will the founding fathers that came before him and those that will follow help us all to share some of this burden and when we view the total compliment of the Presidential body- will we not say that they strove to do good, in spite of being human?- absolutely yes!

Do not believe the President? William, that would be like not believing in Santa Claus. And as Mr. Church most poignantly pointed out to your 19th Century compatriot, Virginia O Hanlon, those 100 years ago; "Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

Rest easy, dear William, we are of strong stock. It is a question like yours that helps us all to crystallize our thinking, as we approach the dawn of a new century, a new millennium- in our quest for truth in our highest of offices. Thank you William for joining us in this most important quest!




*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*