"LYNCHBURG, Va. (ABP) -- Although Jerry Falwell did more than about anybody else to identify conservative evangelical Christians with the Republican Party in the last 30 years, top GOP leaders were notably absent at his May 22 funeral in Virginia."--from American Baptist Press.
Let's be honest: I was never a fan of Falwell, even before his post-9/11 comments. But I think he was probably savvy enough to know that luminaries like "w" and his compatriots wouldn't show up for the funeral. It was a marriage of convenience, when things were humming along, and Falwell got to galvanize his church empire at the same time that the GOP made use of the votes; everybody won. But it does help to remind us of the way folks will line up to shake our hands when we are on the rise, and consign us to the b-list when we're gone; either literally gone or just out of the spotlight.
Know anyone like this in your own life? Have you ever been one yourself?
It's not too late to stop.
I'm not saying that having a big memorial is the measure of anything, other than having a big memorial. But if it really is as Woody Allen says, that "Eighty percent of success is showing up," then those who profited so richly from Falwell's efforts during his life should have had the guts to be successful memorial attendees. Of course, we don't put a premium on good ends anymore, and the collective fear of death has reached such a pitch that it is likely difficult for incumbents or candidates to turn up for funerals other than the most obvious ones.
Maybe Devil is too strong a word, but you get the point.
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