Weasel Without Apology
I don’t usually follow the news very closely but recent events have tempted me to read the CNN commentaries about President Obama, his representation of our country, and the Nobel Peace Prize issue. All this has put me in mind of some recent conversations I’ve had with a lifelong atheist. I spent a fair amount of energy and effort to explain my faith and the teaching of Christianity. I described my role as an apologist. My conversational opposite got a little snide and said he thought I never apologized for anything. I apologize when I need to but I’ll be an apologist when I choose to.
I expected he would understand the term apologist to describe ‘a person who argues in defense or justification of something, such as a doctrine, policy, or institution’. This is very different from an apology which is ‘an acknowledgment expressing regret or asking pardon for a fault or offense’.
I was arguing in defense of my faith in God and my nation. I may choose to explain my faith but never apologize for it. Our president has received very positive media coverage for reaching out to the global community with expressions of regret for our policies and institutions. His statements have created an odd kind of fan club among the nations of the world and he has been rewarded for his appealing statements with the $1.4M Nobel Peace Prize.
I support and respect President Obama and I hope this up-front award will encourage and enable him to prevent ‘Yes We Can’ from becoming ‘No We Couldn’t’. I want him to do well for our country, to serve us well and to represent us well. If apologizing for our global policies will accomplish that, than good for us. But I will continue to hope for our President to become an apologist for America rather than an apologizer.
These stories landed in my email box this week and I thought they would be a good reminder that we’re all apologists for something, either for our faith, our politics, or some other personal belief. At a time when our politicians choose to apologize for our country`s prior actions, here`s a refresher on how some of our former patriots responded. Do you read any apologies here?
John F. Kennedy’s Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 1960′s when DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaule said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.
Rusk responded “does that include those who are buried here?”
DeGaule did not respond.
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When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.
General Powell answered by saying, “Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.”
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There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were attending, including engineers from France and America. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying “Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?”
A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: “Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people. They are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities. They have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day. They can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?”
Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on luggage. “You have been to France before, Monsieur?” the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously. “Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.” The American said, ‘The last time I was here, I didn’t have to show it.” “Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France!” The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ”Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn’t find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.”
