Let's Think About This!

Make no mistake; President Obama is not my favorite president--probably the least favorite of my life; but when he's acting like any other president, we should not draw a negative conclusion from it just because of the personalities involved.   My gripe is the facebook posting making a connection between the death of Chris Kyle, a man who by all accounts was a military hero and died under tragic circumstances, and the death of Hugo Chavez, a head of state--as unpopular as he may be with most of us.

Under normal circumstances, the non-service connected death of a veteran is not newsworthy on a national scale; but the celebrated sniper was well known and his untimely death made headlines nationwide, if not internationally.  Rarely if ever does the President take any special note of such events.  Unfortunately, veterans, old and young, decorated and non-decorated, die every day without any presidential note.  

However, Chavez was the leader of a nation within our own hemisphere.  It is both custom and common decency to send a delegation to pay respects for such a person--even if he did state his hatred for our own nation.  

For what it's worth, Chris Kyle was laid to rest with the ceremony that should be accorded a hero.  There is at least one easily located picture with military personnel lining the fence around the cemetery.  He was buried as and will be recalled as a hero for many years to come.  

Hopefully--though history suggests otherwise--Chavez will become nothing but a blip on the chart of Venezuela's list of leaders.  He's driven the country into a steadily worsening position and into greater debt, all the while bleeding the economy to fatten his own position.  The free world will recall him for what he truly was, even if the people of his nation do not.