Ugly talk

by Pastor Tom

I had a lot of fun in a costume store recently, checking out all the Halloween masks. In and among all the gruesome and scary creature heads were the likenesses of President Bush, Dick Cheney and Hillary Rodham Clinton. I suppose it could be rather frightening to have a politician show up at your front door. No doubt, you’d be in for some tricks.

It was reported the other day that John Spencer, the Republican challenger to Senator Clinton, made some remarks to an AP reporter about her looks. According to the reporter, Mr. Spencer was simply amazed at the unattractiveness of Hillary’s high school yearbook photo. He allegedly stated his conviction that she must have since had some serious plastic surgery, and his bewilderment at just how her hubby Bill was ever able to marry her.

According to Mr. Spencer, the report was a total fabrication, and he never said anything of the kind. The Hillary people seem to be taking great joy in the reported remarks, in spite of his denial. Sadly, recent history has revealed that reporters are often untrustworthy, having staged photo shootings and flat-out lied on several occasions, just to make a name for themselves.

The Bible regularly demands that any accusation be accompanied by the witness of at least two or three individuals before a judgment is delivered. I’ve always thought that reporters ought to be able to provide some corroborative support of some kind when they reveal embarrassing, damaging and negative facts about someone. It seems like it’s just too easy to smear somebody with little or no accountability.

Well, being a fat, ugly guy myself, I don’t really have much concern for how other people look. Some of the greatest people to walk the earth would never have won any beauty contest. Hillary seems to look fine, aside from the fact that she appears angry a lot of the time. Maybe it’s indigestion. Maybe it’s Bill.

I do admit that there are a lot of ugly politicians running around, but the ugliness isn’t coming from their looks. It’s coming out of their mouths. Oh, I truly enjoy some spirited competition in a political contest, but the kind of trash-talking that we hear is sad. It’s ugly. It’s embarrassing. It’s scary. God help us.