And even from the partially, or even temporarily, converted. And even from those whose sins are hard, if not impossible, to forgive. I welcome a statement, for example, from Thomas Friedman, because his is a voice that many who have never heard of DU listen to, and respect:
"9/11 Is Over"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/opinion/30friedman.html?hp"9/11 has made us stupid. I honor, and weep for, all those murdered on that day. But our reaction to 9/11 — mine included — has knocked America completely out of balance, and it is time to get things right again."
Too little, too late? Okay. But would we rather someone like Friedman just keep his mouth shut, and his keyboard still, after he's seen a little light? To me, that's somehow like the press seeming to want rich guys like Edwards or Gore, because they're rich and not perfect, to just shut up about the poor or the environment -- that it's somehow better that they not be heard, or that they have no right to be heard.
I welcome editorials from the NYT, for example; I welcome revelations from Colin Powell (and that's not an easy one!). We can't win this fight with people from the world of DU, or even with those at the same place on the political spectrum. We can't win it with people who haven't changed their minds sometime along the way, from the time Bush's approval ratings hit around 90%. We probably can't win it without powerful voices who have not only disagreed with us, but who have erred badly in the past and are responsible in a major way for the trouble we find ourselves in today.
I think we need all the help we can get, and I, for one, am grateful for it whenever it comes.
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