A bit of History Wednesday is being whisked into Global Village Monday for a nice little omelet I call ‘Courage and Politicians’. You would think these two ingredients wouldn’t mix any better than liver and coconut, but hold off your judgement until you’ve had a taste.
Did you read about the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, who rushed into his burning apartment building to rescue a neighbor? Cory Booker, a former All-American football player, slung the woman over his shoulder and carried her outside.
About the same time, the intrepid governor of Vermont was taking on four (yes, four) bears who were stealing food from bird feeders. In a valiant attempt to rescue the feeders, sleep-in-the-buff Governor Shumlin found himself chased by the largest of the beasts and barely (bearly?) got himself and the bird feeders to safety as the assailant closed in.
Doesn’t it do your heart good to know that not all politicians are spineless? Want to hear about more?
An Italian mayor, Mario Pellegrini, stayed on the doomed cruise ship Concordia in January after the captain had abandoned it. For six hours he helped frightened passengers to safety.
And finally, because we want a balanced omelet, we come to another heroic governor.
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was Governor General of the Philippines and before that Governor of Puerto Rico. When he was in his 50’s and suffering from heart disease and arthritis, he begged to help lead the Normandy Invasion. In spite of his vessel being blown off course he stumped up to the beach and set impromptu plans into motion that led to a successful campaign. General Omar Bradley called his actions the most courageous he had ever seen in combat.
If we take 2 fearless governors and 2 selfless mayors and mix them up a bit we have the perfect recipe for a Courage and Politicians omelet. It doesn’t even need extra seasoning. Who knew government officials could also be truly heroic and self-sacrificing?
Maybe liver and coconut really do mix...
