We Will Be Fooled Again

https://www.streamlygredible.com/

“America’s political elite — particularly members, like Senator Jeff Flake, who are still in office — owe us much more than veiled put-downs at a funeral. Still, even their symbolic repudiation of Trump matters. At moments, McCain’s funeral reminded me of the “La Marseillaise” scene in “Casablanca,” when refugees from occupied Europe — one of them deeply compromised — belted out the French national anthem and for a moment remembered who they used to be.” — Michelle Goldberg

Michelle Goldberg is rising to the highest eminence in contemporary US political commentary. 

Some people on the left and on the right are so cynical and so fearful of being caught out as “sentimental” or naive because of the harsh American human realities of violence, oppression, hypocrisy, greed, and inequality. And yes, trimp has not (yet) done anything as egregious as the Iraq invasion. But neither forgiveness nor retribution (thinking about dubbya) are ultimates. The closest we can ever come to an “ultimate” is a perpetual commitment to better understand and fulfill certain ideals.

Of course we will be ‘fooled again'. But, to some extent, we can still choose how and what we learn from each mistake.

Joe Panzica