The time to repair the roof…

…is when the sun is shining.

Makes sense, doesn’t it? John F. Kennedy was onto something when he spoke those words. Sadly, we’re long past the days when our leaders say intelligent things and think in a deep manner (“Is our children learning?”).

The reason I bring this quote up lies in the recent “Michael J. Fox vs. Rush Limbaugh” extravaganza. Somehow, that whole debacle passed under my radar when it first happened, so I’m reading details as I type here.

What I have heard in “real time” are critics and analysts talking about stem cell research and how Fox is misleading us when he talks about finding cures for diseases like Parkinson Disease. Why is it misleading? Well, because any cures that may come from stem cell research wouldn’t be readily available for years (I’ve heard 15 years for Parkinson’s disease). Gee whilikers, if we can’t find cures or solutions to things immediately, we shouldn’t even bother trying! Why didn’t I think about that?

Of course, the people who say things like that while on “news” programs tend to be billed as “conservatives”. Funny, when it comes to “conservative” agendas, they don’t care how long it takes to get things done! Iraq war, anyone?

What does this have to do with JFK’s quote I started this off on? If there are the proverbial dark clouds on the horizon, the masses tend to ignore them until it’s too late, especially when those dark clouds are controversial.

Take global warming for example. These days, the only thing scientists can’t agree on is the severity of the impact of global warming. Those who can’t find a reputable group of scientists to say the sky isn’t falling jump on the least dire predictions and claim it would be a waste of money to make changes to the way we do things on this planet. When has the strategy “hope for the best and everything will turn out ok” ever worked? I’ve used that strategy a lot and it has failed me every single time.

Back to the Michael J. Fox issue: these people who are accusing him of trying to sensationalize his message by skipping on his meds should be smacked. You know what they’re really saying? I don’t want to have to see what I’m fighting to keep from getting cured. I think Fox said it best: “And it really brings up the specter of, ‘go away, shut the window, shut the doors, close the curtains and suffer, and don’t let us know,’ because it’s a fearful response.” There are plenty of people with diseases in this country, and the world, who can’t afford medication to keep people like Limbaugh (who was an oxycontin addict for a while) from having to see the full effects of a disease. The thing that’s truly shameless here, Limbaugh, is what you said.

Michael J. Fox was at the University of South Florida a couple of years back as a guest speaker to speak about stem cell research. The lecture was put together by the Democrat group on-campus so there was no reason for Fox to put on any act. I remember how disconcerting it was to see this man I grew up watching in movies and on tv visibly struggling to keep himself from shaking. I learned a lot about stem cell research that day and it cleared up some misconceptions that had been forced down my throat by the media and by stem cell research opponents.

The time to repair the roof…

Anytime there is an important issue that needs to be dealt with, feet get dragged, issues get avoided and pushed back, and nothing gets done. Ever notice that radical change usually only comes after a horrible tragedy? Society waits until after it begins to storm before we clamor to patch the proverbial roof. Hell, we’ll even wait until the storm has passed before we start to do anything and before long, the sense of urgency is lost and feet start dragging again.

Unfortunately, extremists (on both sides) like Limbaugh make getting things done as difficult as possible. They’d rather distort the truth to further their own political agenda than do the right thing. So, do the right thing, society. Take the blinders off, get your head out of the lap of your political party, and start thinking for yourself. That roof isn’t going to fix itself