Dan Quayle, for those who were not born or don’t remember, was the VP for President Bush, the first. He was a pleasant enough person who, for many of us, was a bit of a joke. His somewhat handsome face and smiley demeanor, along with his staunch conservatism and whip-smart wife, made him the perfect, non-offensive sidekick for Bush. He was the one who chastised the fictional character Murphy Brown for being a single mother, and we all laughed and shook our heads at the silliness of it all. Then, he got canceled. He was being interviewed by a reporter and was asked if an 11- or 12-year-old girl should be allowed to get an abortion. He hemmed and hawed, and reluctantly said that he and his wife would support their daughter if she decided to do that as an adult but would try to prevent a minor from doing the same thing. After Pres. Bush lost his reelection bid, Quayle disappeared. My opinion? He was canceled.
I have had that same conversation with parents over the years; they oppose abortion – and to be clear, I wish there was never a need for abortions as well – but would reluctantly support their children if they had to have one. The same usually goes with finding out that someone you love isn’t heterosexual. We can be righteously opposed to all kinds of things, but when it becomes personal, we often change our minds. What might make sense to us theoretically doesn’t always pan out practically. This may be why Jesus was so adamant about warning us about being judgmental; be careful, He said, because the way you judge others will be the way you are judged. Karma, for Jesus, was real.
This is why we should think before we speak. It is all too easy to look at a situation and make a decision based on what we believe and how we were raised, but when the rubber meets the road (yup – that’s me being folksy), things get real when we experience them ourselves. You might not like tattoos, for example, but when your kid gets one, you have to live with it. You might think living together before marriage is a sin, but when your little baby grows up and does it, you roll with it. Dan Quayle was theoretically opposed to abortion, but when he was forced to consider what an unplanned pregnancy might do to his daughter’s life, he thought long and hard about what to say. I think he said the right thing. Good for him – all of us could benefit from the challenge of reality.
Dan Quayle, by the way, has been credited with saving democracy in 2020. When Mike Pence was struggling to do the right thing in the aftermath of the election and the Insurrection – not to mention dealing with the prospect of those traitors trying to hang him – he spoke with Quayle, who told Pence that there was no choice – he had to listen to the parliamentarian and validate the election of Pres. Biden. Not bad for a guy who couldn’t spell “potato”.
Prayer – Holy God, help us to do the right thing even when everyone else tries to make us do what is wrong. Give us courage every day. Amen.
Today’s art is “The Right Choice” by Ishyndar.