Rest In Peace part II: As our leaders pass.

I was thinking about it the other day and the first man I voted for in a Presidential Election back in 1988, George Herbert Walker Bush, is in his 90s.

That means the sun is going down on our 41st President and in short order,  he'll be gone.  That, as we know too well, it's a party of life and while we can't do anything about that what we can do is endeavor to allow him to pass with the dignity befitting his former station in life.

I mention President Bush for one reason: the ire and venom that his name commands when you mention his name on social media, or more accurately the ire and venom the Bush family name commands.

This year we lost Nancy Reagan and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. 

Depending on what side of the political spectrum you support this was either the deaths of two prominent figures in our government or the deaths of two people who represent evil incarnate.  Naturally, being more vocal and under the protection of the first amendment the latter of the two won out. 

Now I'm a big proponent of 1A.  I wouldn't be an aspiring writer without a passion for it.  I like to say I may not like what you have to say but I'll defend your right to say it. Problem is that there is a little bit more to the 1A than just the freedom to say what you want and that's where state funerals come into play. Social Media allows any village idiot with the ability to access any form of computer, be it desktop, laptop or smartphone and spew whatever disrespectful or vile words about anyone and they play particular attention to those who have passed.   They can't defend themselves being dead so they're soft targets.  This is why I am not looking forward to the day when GHW Bush dies because the Internet may break under the weight of disrespectful idiots just chomping at the bit to tear his body to pieces.

I know this is an impossible windmill to tilt because it's going to happen no matter how I plead with people to slow restraint.  The thing is the most minor criticism of President Obama and they'll demand that you respect him and they either imply racism or outright accuse you of it, and nothing is accomplished.

Anyway, in light of all that went on politically this week all that I can think of is the death of a former President.

That can't be good...