I'm moving posts here that spontaneously arose from Colin Powell's death. The discussion may end with his story, or perhaps, we can wonder about other tragic figures who have betrayed their own consciences and lived to regret it. Maybe that will include ourselves. [Full disclosure, I've got my own list of self betrayals and regrets. Not going to list them here, but it does give me pause when I can't forgive others. I want to forgive. But I'm not going to say I forgive unless I truly deeply feel it. Our deepest feelings guide us, so we need to trust them.]
Sad about Powell, who was vaccinated. I would like more information about the activities of people who have breakthrough covid cases.
Powell was immunosupressed from multiple myeloma. He also had Parkinson's disease. https://news.yahoo.com/colin-powells-death-doesnt-challenge-efficacy-of-coronavirus-vaccines-173102331.html
Sad about Powell, who was vaccinated. I would like more information about the activities of people who have breakthrough covid cases.
it is sad, when anyone dies unnecessarily. Like the (one million? two million?) people who died in the Iraq War. And now Mr. Powell will have all of eternity, to explain to each and every victim of that war, why, exactly, he chose to lie to the American people to get them to support mass murder by the State.
@unk-p I remember that about Powell, thanks for the reminder. I remember he looked uncomfortable when he lied about the war. The London Times had published an article that members of Parliament who had met with the President's team returned to London and reported in private meetings that Bush, Chaney, and Wolfowitz were "making a case" for war. That they were lying because they had no evidence of weapons of mass destruction. One of the those Parliamentary emails was leaked to the press. All that happened, along with other evidence that there was no case for war, before Powell stood up and just lied.
@jeanne-mayell i am constantly amazed at how many "Christians" will idolize known liars. It is as if they haven't even read the "infallible" book that their religion is supposed to be based on:
Proverbs 12:22 – The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.
1 Peter 3:10-12 – For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers.
Exodus 20:16 (From the 10 Commandments) – You must not lie.
Proverbs 21:6 & 8 – A fortune made by people who tell lies amounts to nothing and leads to death. …But the conduct of those who are not guilty is honest.
and especially this:
Proverbs 6:16-19 – For there are six things the Lord hates—no, seven: haughtiness, lying, murdering, plotting evil, eagerness to do wrong, a false witness, sowing discord among brothers.
I cannot begin to understand the life Colin Powell led, the people and circumstances he navigated, and all he had to consider before making decisions that would ultimately be judged publicly. Unlike most, he owned his mistakes on Iraq publicly and regretted his vote for it. When I die please let the first words that pass everyone’s lips be about how I tried rather than how I failed.
@theungamer i think my last few posts sounded too judgy, and i would like to go back and edit them, we all make mistakes. but i still hold that it is a major problem when someone in a position like his would not try to err on the side of peace for a change
Just a note about Powell - yes, died of COVID complications, yes was fully vaccinated, but the media failed to report that he had been struggling with cancer for quite some time. I find the mainstream media to be more irresponsible than ever, because this type of reporting causes unnecessary panic and does nothing to calm the sh*tstorms around vaccination.
@unk-p I understand. Thank you. Overall it seemed that Powell lived a life of integrity. Expressing regrets for his choice indicates to me a conscience and I respect he was able to own the error. I can't help but wonder what it might have been like for him to live knowing he had a part in the loss of life. So many of our appointed and elected officials continually make decisions with little concern of the impact to the public. Even death to them seems like no big thing. I'd like to think Powell was in a better league.
@unk-p @ungamer I've been thinking about Powell. I was always sad about him. I knew he knew going to war was a mistake. He didn't want to do it. I just knew it intuitively from the look on his face when he was standing up and making the case for war.
The New York Times did a story this morning on Powell's regrets about the war. He was right that many will not forgive him, however, at least he was sorry and admitted his mistake. I have a harder time when I think about the New York Times reporter Judy Miller, whose pro-Iraq War articles they promoted to front page at that time. She gave Hillary Clinton and John Kerry and many democratic politicians the rationale to vote for the war even though those people knew it was false. Judy Miller made the case for war to boost her career, and as far as I know she was too narcissistic to realize the harm she caused.
Powell made the mistake of his career about the war, and the saddest thing was that he was against the war but could not face up to his President to say no. He knew that if he refused to go along with it, he'd have to resign and he did not want to resign. He later publicly said he was voting for Obama and Biden, but for many it didn't matter, because of all the lives that were lost due to his complicity. The Back Story of Powell's Case for the War