Words to Live By Since 1993 A SPIFF Publication Vol. 3, No. 16 When a hammer is your only tool, all problems appear to be nails It's Tragic We here at Spiff were, for the first time, thrown for a loop by the events of the past week. In the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, we watched with heavy hearts as the people of a once-peaceful city faced the deepest evil man can do against man. Especially hard to watch was the memorial service held on Sunday, as 20,000 Americans came together to mourn the loss of loved ones and, in a way, the loss of innocence. None of us would be prepared for what happened in Oklahoma City. We can never be fully prepared and still be free. Our freedom is something we value beyond the fear of death. It is a fact of American life that we give up that extra bit of security for a great cause--the cause to make our way through life as we choose and to take the chances and make the choices to have a better life. No two-bit weekend bomber will take that freedom away. We were equally uneasy about launching criticism at this time. This is not a time to voice our differences. It is a time to remember the sacrifice of the men, women, and children that only wanted to live their lives as best they could. However, in this time that should be reserved for remembrance, Bill Clinton decided to score a few political points. Until Monday, we were ready to give the administration some credit for the instant response to the emergency in Oklahoma. The aid efforts and especially the speed with which the first scumball was caught by law enforcement officials were truly remarkable. The Clintons had actually provided some degree of leadership in the greatest emotional crisis to strike this nation perhaps since the Challenger explosion in 1986. But then, like always, Bill Clinton's desire to capitalize took over and everything fell apart. Instead of continuing to lead the nation from the carnage and toward healing, Bill Clinton decided to spend Monday lashing out at "purveyors of hatred." In the Clinton dictionary, a purveyor of hatred is anyone who does not agree with Clinton policies (what few are left) and chooses to voice his opposition. In this particular case, the POHs are conservative radio talk show hosts (which really disappoints us at Spiff because he did not mention the POHs of the fax publishing business). It is a shame that he chose this moment to throw this particular grenade. At a time when we should come together, Clinton, once again, seeks to divide us. This man seems incapable to discern between legitimate criticism of his policies and a nut with a truck full of fertilizer and fuel oil. Part of that freedom we risk is the freedom to criticize our government and our leaders. Clinton's tirade notwithstanding, the government is too big, it does spend too much, it does intrude too deeply into our lives and wallets, and it needs to be reined in. These are not outrageous views. They do not incite hatred or violence, but they are counter to those of Bill Clinton and the people around him, and therefore are dangerous and hate-filled. The selfishness of this view staggers us. Eventually they will learn that there is a legitimate point of view that is different from theirs and if November 8 is any indication, it is the view of most Americans. In this time of pain we will pause to remember the lives and innocence lost. We will remember the teddy bears held by the crowd on Sunday to represent the children. We will remember the chorus singing Amazing Grace and know that it will always have a different meaning for us, then we will return, with a heavier heart and a different outlook, to the business of competing in the arena of ideas. Random Thoughts on a Random Killing Clearly, at least in the short-run, the most disturbing thing about last week's bombing is the loss of innocent life. The dead cannot be brought back; their families have lost forever the smile of a baby, the strength of a father's love, or the touch of a loved-one's hand. Some survivors will spend the rest of their lives maimed, thanks to the evil deeds of a tiny group of madmen. Yes, that's evil--not unfortunate, not misguided--evil. While volunteers try to recover more bodies, sometimes risking their own lives, the rest of us debate what to do next. How do we deal with the murderers? What do we do with their associates? How do we keep this from happening again? Already, Congress is debating new anti-terrorist legislation, which will expand the FBI's access to records of suspected terrorists and other right-wing extremists. It's easy to over-react. When babies are murdered, we want to do whatever we can to keep something like this from happening again. This is good. It's called survival. But how far do we go? We're all willing to take sensible steps, but what are sensible steps? When children are shot, we ban guns. Sure it's unconstitutional, but we ignore that fact--pretending it's not unconstitutional or deciding that we don't care. When children are bombed, will we ban fuel oil? Will we ban speech we don't like? We want to do something. We don't want these babies to have died in vain. The problem, though, is that it's too late. They have died in vain. They did not die to save others. They did not die for their ideals. They did not die defending our freedom. They died because they were in the building when the bomb went off. Others before them, however, have died to save others. They died for their ideals. They died defending the freedom we are about to give up. Let's be sure that they, too, didn't die in vain. Happy Earth Day to You? Amid the sorrow of last week, many of us forgot to celebrate Earth Day. Darn! Quote of the weak: "Call Newt Gingrich at 202-225-0600 and tell him to help you with a job." Maxine Waters Quote of the strong: "But we come together here today not only to pray and forgive and love, but to say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated." The Rev. Billy Graham Words to Live By is published every week at about this time by Spiff. You can send a fax to us here in the Spiff Executive Plaza, towering over beautiful downtown Donelson, Tennessee at 615-883-0435.