Bob'N'Along
by Editor Bob Stealey
There's virtually no doubt in my mind that most Americans will feel varying degrees of anger after seeing the taped message from terrorist kingpin Osama bin Laden.
You may say it's much easier said than done for a person to contain his contempt for such a creature who would orchestrate such tragedy and sadness. I realize that as humans, that's probably right.
Still, within ourselves, hate won't harm Osama bin Laden -- it will only harm us. That's just the way it is with us creatures of God. Oh, sure, the adrenaline rush may feel good. But it only lasts a short time.
I heard Sen. Robert C. Byrd quote his mother as telling him, "Robert, nobody can get into Heaven who hates somebody." Well, as long as God is the Judge of us all, that's up to Him. But I would suspect that she's right.
When I become angry, if it's "at" somebody, or, more properly, angry with somebody, the stronger that anger grows, the lousier I feel.
"That's not fair," one might say. "I didn't do anything, it was that so-and-so who should feel terrible, not me."
Sorry, but that doesn't fly! As I said before, Osama bin Laden, who doesn't seem to have a conscience anyway, certainly isn't "trembling in his turban" over the wrath felt by perhaps a majority of the world's people -- especially the loved ones of the 3,500-some people killed on Sept. 11.
So, I guess the thing we have to do -- for ourselves, not that miserable excuse for a human -- is to just let it go ... and live in peace with God.
If you like to listen to Christmas music during the season, and you'd also like to do something to help abused or neglected children, I may have a partial answer for you. The CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) program has available for your listening enjoyment a compact disc titled "The Voices of Children at Christmas, II."
The music is by the New York Symphony and Children's Chorus, and the disk is sponsored by the ExxonMobil corporation especially for CASA, an organization that is prevalent around the world.
For only a dozen bucks each, you can hear good Christmas music and also help abused and neglected kids to receive permanent protection from such treatment at the hands of a certain type of adult. You can contact the CASA office by phoning (304) 623-5749. Cheri Kenney is the local program director.
It was good to be back to resume my column after my brief hiatus with some kind of bug that caught up with me on Sunday. Here's hoping that it does not catch up with you and that you have a nice weekend. Watch Sunday for my sixth annual "Wish List to Santa."
Exponent-Telegram Editor Bob Stealey can be reached by phone at (304) 626-1438, or by e-mail at rstealey@exponent-telegram.com.
