Holy Crap

[filkertom]

Jerry Falwell dead at 73.

If you know me at all, you know how I feel about this man and his words and his work. But that doesn't matter for the moment. A man is dead. May he find whatever rest he sought.

Mr. Falwell, at this point you will find out if you were right. For your sake, good luck.

Comments

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

This has come up here before, and it's coming up all over the blogosphere now, so I'm going to give the most serious, straightforward explanation of my thinking on the matter that I can. To do so, I'm going to have to imply some bad things about Mr. Falwell. I hope I will explain why I'm trying to not do so.

Mr. Falwell believed differently than I on two particular fronts. The first is in the existence of God; the second is in the dominion of God.

The first caused him to say things that were, to me, appalling, and to encourage hatred and repression of a great many people solely on the basis of what he believed about them.

The second caused him to work to elect legislators and enact legislation that would enable formal, legal enforcement of that hatred and repression. Without question, I and most of my close friends would have been targets of his goals, because he cast very wide nets. The basis for his bigotry and hatred was people who went against the dictates of his religion, and he (like so many others) never got the whole First Amendment thing about religion not being made into law.

I disagreed pretty much completely with his beliefs, and have over the years worked against his attempts to enact them. I have strong feelings in my heart about him that I will not voice today.

I will not voice them for three reasons, one self-serving and two not.

• While I completely disagreed with his beliefs, my chosen method of dealing with that sort of thing is to let well enough alone. If he had not worked so hard to impose his religion upon myself and my friends, to make his beliefs the law of the land, I would've blissfully gone on without caring about him. It disgusted me to hear him speak, but more because of his political power than anything.
• Whatever I or anyone else may say about him, he was a human being. He had family; he had friends. They feel loss at his demise, and they deserve sympathy and condolence on that basis. He does as well, because he too is Part Of The Tribe.
• He never got that he was Part Of The Tribe. He thought there were several tribes, and that his was the best, and moreover that his deserved to lead -- and, if necessary, put down -- the others. Assuming he knew anything about me, if our situations were reversed he would have nothing good to say about me, and would in fact take joy in my passing.
  
  I take no joy in his passing, although I cannot help but hope that some segment of his beliefs die with him. I take no joy in anyone's death. But I can take some relief, for whatever reason. And it is not being "nice" to refrain from bad-mouthing the freshly dead... it is being polite. Gloating over someone's death does no one any good.
  
  It is doing my best to be a better person than I believe he would've been with me.

An old man died. Some will celebrate his life; some will celebrate his death. I will let out a long exhale, and do my best to move on.

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

And your words do you credit, Sir.

[xydexx.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear!

[anahata56.livejournal.com]

I have always liked you, Tom. From a distance, yes--but I have always liked you.

I have never liked you as much as I like you at this moment.

A Good Warrior never gloats over or mocks the death of an enemy, but instead sees himself in that still body, knowing that it was just the twist of fate that kept him on his feet while the other fell. The awesome, serendipitous power of death comes now for an enemy, and later for us. If we are ethical and moral, that power compels us to keep silent, and treat that enemy with the respect with which we hope to be treated, by our friends and by our enemies, at our own passing.

Thank you for expressing, so eloquently, what I most certainly am feeling now, and for being the ethical warrior that you are.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

that power compels us to keep silent, and treat that enemy with the respect with which we hope to be treated, by our friends and by our enemies, at our own passing.

What do I care? I'll be DEAD!

[anahata56.livejournal.com]

I'll note your icon and leave it at that.

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

I've noted a lot of anger and bile at various liberal web sites - Salon and Democratic Underground - and I've mentioned the following:

Remember the "God Hates Fags" guys who appear at funerals, the Westboro Baptist Church and their loony "reverend"? Do you want to be classed with them?

Clearly you don't, Tom, and neither do I.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Well, that's a huge part of it as well. And, in fact, Fred Phelps is planning to "preach" at Falwell's funeral. Seems ol' Jerr incurred the righteous wrath of Fred's small, tiny, puny god by not hating people enough, or hating enough people. I am not kidding. If you really want to see, go to godhatesamerica dot com... but I don't recommend it.

It's just... the guy's dead. His organization and his minions are still there, but he himself is gone. If I can't let it go, if collectively we can't let it go and work towards the ends we want, i.e., people being allowed to live as they want as long as they don't hurt other people, then that's that much energy and emotion and power over my mind, heart, and actions I'm pointlessly giving to a dead man.

[tandw.livejournal.com]

If I can't let it go, if collectively we can't let it go and work towards the ends we want, i.e., people being allowed to live as they want as long as they don't hurt other people, then that's that much energy and emotion and power over my mind, heart, and actions I'm pointlessly giving to a dead man.

Or, as Cory Doctorow said in an unrelated discussion, Don't Let Assholes Rent Space In Your Head.

[house-elf.livejournal.com]

Don't Let Assholes Rent Space In Your Head.
I saw that posted in a mailing list I belong to...or at least referenced. I agree.