Of Kathy Griffin

I will say little, except that she is gone from CNN.  She occupied, in my opinion, that next to lowest tier of public discourse.  She was there, along with the Bill Mahers, the Ted Nugents, the Samantha Bees and the Ann Coulters.   They exist and do what they do because, in the end, there is an audience for it.  There are people out there who at best excuse what they do, and at worst love every minute of it.  Perhaps that’s the most troubling aspect of her gag.  She imagined that out there, in our country, were legions of fans and Trump critics who were itching for such a display.  She thought they and her pals in the media and entertainment industry would raise a glass and cheer her on for what she did.

The good – no, great – news is that (almost) everyone in America has condemned this vile piece of filth.  And yes, that includes most people even slightly left of center onward.  In fact, to make it clear, those I know of more liberal leanings have condemned anyone on the left who doesn’t reject her stunt outright.

So those out there in the dark corners of the Internet who might defend this are loners who speak for no one.  They represent no group.  That is good.  That gives hope.  Perhaps everyone will take a deep breath.  I know it’s President Trump. I know the awful things he said.  I know the awful things that others have said for too long and been given a pass.  Perhaps when we see something like this, it will wake us up to where we’re headed if we don’t change and do so quickly.

Fr. Longenecker pretty much explains the twelve ways in which this was beyond all common decency and common sense.  There was a time when Johnny Carson was criticized for being too mean to Nixon.  Would that we could turn our country back to a period where our tolerance of disrespect ended at a well mannered, middle aged man in a suit making subtle jabs at a person.  It’s a thought I have sometimes.