John McCain is Still Dead

If you are of a certain age, you will remember a running gag on Saturday Night Live, about Generalissimo Francisco Franco and the fact the fact that he was still dead.  If you are NOT of a certain age and have no clue what I'm talking about, Google it.  It was the 1970s; it was funny.

When someone is dead, they stay dead.  (We're not going to get into religion and the whole resurrection thing here.)  A person dies.  Family and friends mourn.  Life goes on.  The person is not forgotten, but is generally not a daily focal point.  Legacy is important, obsession is another story.

John McCain; like him, love him, loathe him, or whatever is dead.  He died on August 25, 2018.  (A date I remember because it was my late brother's birthday.)  There were several services/funerals; which is not usual for a man who was a distinguished veteran, Senator and presidential candidate.  They were high profile and the service in Washington, DC was televised and featured many high profile speakers.  I was moved enough to write a bit about it at the end of the summer:  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/08/why-we-should-honor-john-mccains-final.html.

Then, like most of the nation, I moved on.  That's not to say I forgot Senator McCain. I may still have (empty) bottle of Jones' Pure McCain Cola (as well as a Yes We Can Cola) from 2008 on a basement shelf somewhere.  But he's not omnipresent in my mind and with the exception of his family and very close friends, I'd bet that most people haven't thought about him at all since the funeral.  (This is not meant to be disrespectful...it's just the way life goes on.)

So WHY?  Why is John McCain dominating the news?  No offense, but he shouldn't be.  He's been dead for nearly 7 months.  This is NOT the time to vilify or deify.  If our nation wants to honor his legacy with legislation of some kind; that's great.  But the man is dead.  What he did in the past is PAST.   There are so many important items that need to be addressed in our world now; John McCain is not one of them.

We need to focus on issues that matter.  Issues that affect our lives.  Issues that affect our country.  Issues that affect our world.

Isn't it time for us to ignore the chatter and talk about the "real stuff?"  Talk about ways we can change our world and make it a better place for all humankind?  There are so many things we CAN change; so many things we can and SHOULD be doing.  Things, unlike a man who had been dead for months, which could transform our world. Let's put the focus back on that.  Let's hold our elected officials accountable and put them to work on issues that matter to us.  Isn't that what John McCain would want?