Just Ask Angela
by Rev. Peter E. Bauer
There you were sitting in the Oval Office, in the nice yellow chair, wearing a smart-looking, teal-colored suit, meeting with № 45.You look bewildered, if not downright confused. I can’t blame you. You weren’t treated very well, and as they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
I hope you realize that our country really admires you. You are one of the adults in the room and you are responsible. Your parents raised you well. You are the daughter of a clergyman. You have grace and class. I’m sorry that you didn’t receive the hospitality that you deserved.
I have an idea. Maybe we could email you if we have any questions, i.e. how to handle a budget item, what to do about defense, where we can go to get some good strudel. I think we could call it “Ask Angela” if you don’t mind.
The lack of leadership that you experienced and that we witness now, as a country, is mystifying to occur in 2017. This is reminiscent of Katherine Hepburn playing Eleanor of Aquitaine in the movie, “The Lion In Winter,” where she says, “It’s 1183 and we’re still barbarians.” You could just as well replace ‘1183’ with ‘2017.’ Eleanor of Aquitaine goes on to note:
“We are the killers. We breed wars. We carry it like syphilis inside. Dead bodies rot in field and stream because the living ones are rotten. For the love of God, can’t we love one another just a little — that’s how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children. We could change the world.”
Her sentiments sound pretty accurate even now. I wish we could have had you meet with someone like Madeleine Albright. I think the conversation would have gone a lot better and I think it would have been far more productive.
You deserve a lot better and so do we.
I’m sorry you didn’t get a handshake.
The next time you come back, go visit some other places like New York, Austin, Boston,Seattle, Portland, or San Antonio. I guarantee that the reception will be much better. We could even provide some good Tex-Mex food — or German, if you like — even some good Texas German-brewed beer.
How about it ?
We’re rooting for you and your country!
We know you are rooting for us as well!
May it be so.
