Thursday, March 7, 2013

A Sad Day in the Life of Lech Walesa.



A hero has disappointed me greatly; and I can only shake my head in sadness and frustration.
by Charlie Leck

One feels very let down when a hero disappoints. How frustrated I am today to read about Lech Walesa’s comments about gays in his homeland, Poland. Oh, how proud I was of this man in his younger years, when he led the political battle to set his nation free and established an important democracy there. For his work, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Never, thought I, would this leader of the movement toward freedom deny freedom to any class of citizens nor smirk at the idea of sexual freedom

If you’re interested, this Talking Points Memo (TPM) sums up the story quite briefly. Perhaps you’ll shake your heads with me and utter also with me: “Oh, how sad!”

Walesa in not really politically active anymore; however, he remains a historical icon and he is frequently invited to speak at important world affairs. These recent statements will certainly hurt his standing and the appeal he has had to so many over the years. TPM suggests he may have “disgraced the Nobel prize.” I’m not willing to go that far; frankly I write the comments off as the utterance of an old man, turned quite conservative and not any longer forward looking – a fellow, too, who probably doesn’t think very clearly anymore.

This legend of Poland has told gays and lesbians in Poland to sit down and shut up. Walesa says they are not welcome in politics. He claims they are a minority that wants to act like a majority and they cannot have the rights open to the majority.

Lech, be seated and be quiet! The world has passed you by.

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2 comments:

  1. Yes, a sad day indeed. The man was an overachiever.

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  2. Walesa has always been a conservative. He fought against the atheist left-wing dictatorship to introduce a Catholic government approved by the majority (instead of by Soviet tanks).

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