by Steve Pauwels
Life — more precisely, I’d emphasize, the God of Life — has this dogged habit of serving up uncomfortable circumstances which demand too-frequently fickle human beings face-up to their hypocrisies, double-standards and philosophical inconsistencies.
I’m thinking, most recently, of the death of iconic Zimbabwean lion “Cecil”. In early July, the thirteen-year-old big cat was lured out of a hunter-free game preserve and killed by an American hunter who claims he was guaranteed it was all on the up-and-up.
Now the planet’s been shaken. Congenitally silly late-night talker Jimmy Kimmel broke down, nearly weeping when speaking about Cecil. Television personality Piers Morgan urged the perpetrator, Dr. Walter Palmer, ought to be hunted down, skinned alive, beheaded, mounted like a trophy. “Internet vigilantism” and death threats forced Palmer to close down his dental practice and go into hiding. At a makeshift memorial to the deceased King of Beasts, one sign reads, “WE ARE CECIL; another “ROT IN HELL”. The debate, predictably, has been rekindled: Should sport hunting even be permitted?
Meanwhile, rolling and revolting videos — four excerpts released so far and counting – capturing various Planned Parenthood officials admitting they not only kill unborn children but peddle their organs and tissue for medical experimentation are exciting nothing approaching the widespread “Cecil” scandal. PP president Cecile Richards aims to change the subject, scoffing at the undercover sting’s methods which exposed her lurid business.
Whatever lessons Cecil the Lion is hawking, Cecile the Queen of Baby-killers ain’t buying.
A magnificent carnivore perishes and the world convulses. Human babies are butchered and cannibalized for parts? The mainstream media barely touches it. Where’s that celebrity indignation machine?
Unfolding events lately dealt the fashionable Left another awkward thump when Rachel Dolezal made her debut on nationwide radar. Mere days after former decathlete Bruce “Caitlyn” Jenner officially revealed that, despite his penis and DNA, he’s actually a women, Ms. Dolezal was exposed a Caucasian — white parents, white genetics, white background. The problem with that? For years the American civil rights activist, one-time Africana studies instructor, and Spokane, WA NAACP leader had been marketing herself as a black women.
Large swathes of society furrowed their brows, others rolled their eyes, many mocked. Ridiculous!You can’t choose to be African-American if you’re, demonstrably, biologically White.
How strange, then, when so many of Ms. Dolezal’s critics hastily scrambled to reassure their dismissal of her obviously specious claim in no way could be interpreted to reflect on Mr. Jenner’s gender make-believe. Strange, indeed, and with individuals like supposed “conservative” Fox News stand-by Andrea Tantaros, exasperating: in the thick of the Jenner/Dolezal circuses, she showed up on Bill O’Reilly’s show to clarify that, although she had openly sneered at Dolezal’s self-deluding, I-identify-as-Black scam, nobody should take her reaction to mean she has any problem with “Bruce” abruptly dubbing himself a “she”. Disappointingly, Mr. O amiably went along with Tantaros’ scaldingly conflicted reasoning.
So: Caucasian female insists, against all evidence, she’s African-American? Laughable! Biological male insists, against all evidence, he’s lady-kind? Perfectly defensible.
No cognitive disconnect there, aye?
Speaking of disconnect, what about in-the-spotlight claims of gross sexual misbehavior by a pair of marquee figures, compared to the history of libidinous shenanigans by a leading Democratic presidential hopeful’s hubby? GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is lately under fire for a twenty-five-year-old rape accusation — lodged against him by his former wife during tempestuous, early 1990’s divorce-proceedings. Since then, and again recently, ex-spouse Ivanna has disavowed the explosive indictment: “totally without merit” — and gone on to endorse the Donald’s White House run.
Then there’s Bill Cosby. In light of accusations he’d drugged and then groped dozens of women going back decades, “America’s favorite TV dad” was tarred by the aforementioned Jimmy Kimmel as “the [second] most hated man in America”. (The number one despised individual according to Kimmel? Maligned lion-slayer Walter Palmer).
For those with a memory, the five-hundred-pound Arkansan gorilla in this room is Bill Clinton. His backstory is squirm-inducingly inconvenient for Democrats. The erstwhile Chief Executive, presently wed to Hillary who is the Dems’ favored horse in the 2016 presidential race, has a well-rehearsed history as a lecher. At least three women are on record alleging he sexually assaulted them (Linda Trip incriminates violent rape). Moreover, he’s admitted to repeated Oval Office canoodlings with a female subordinate — according to contemporary feminists, the very definition to sexual abuse .
Has “The Man from Hope” earned a berth on that “most hated” roll-call? How quaint! On the contrary, major media seems weirdly reluctant even reminding the public of his roguish reputation and creepy conduct. Bill and Hillary’s cult-like defenders feign umbrage whenever the matter is mentioned. He beamingly persists as honorary head of the Democratic party
Freshly unearthed events embarrassingly damn Hillary and her minions in additional ways. There’s the hard-core four-game suspension against New England Patriots’ Tom Brady. His violation? Purported tinkering with game-ball air pressure. When he ditched his cell-phone texts during the inquiry? For multitudes of NFL fans, the record-obliterating QB’s complicity was even more undeniably nailed shut.
Yet, Hillary, on her part? Facing accusations of illegal private computer use for official government business, she impudently stonewalls: scrubbing thousands of emails, destroying her server. What do the Bill-and-Hill-adoring Lanny Davis/James Carville types have to say about that? Nothing here! Distraction! Partisan attacks! Rght-wing conspiracy!
“Deflategate”? Headline-gobbling. “Servergate”? Meh.
No doubt, emerging happenings are routinely serving, and will keep doing so, to expose people’s cynicism, schemings, disingenuousness — particularly those in positions of power and influence. That, regrettably, doesn’t mean they’re obliged to take heed. The unscrupulous will continue plugging their ears, covering their eyes, aghast and unmoved. Hearing, seeing, speaking no evil — unless it suits them.
Life may roar an uninvited, conscience-tugging admonition into the culture — like the late and lamented Cecil the Lion, even from the grave. Still, if nobody’s listening, does it make a sound? The answer, unambiguously and unapologetically: “YES!”. But only principled men and women will respond to it; and the corrupt, the cowardly and the Clintons confirm: there aren’t nearly enough of those.
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