Is It What It Seems to Be?

I question everything. Too often we encounter knee jerk reaction to some supposed affront that upon objective examination turns out to be more innuendo than insult. I'm unsure about this one. When I first heard it I was taken aback but didn't find it unbelievable in light of some of the shenanigans of the current administration. The more I heard, the more suspicious I became.

The original outrage was over Memorial Day week-end. Now two months later we get this report of the Texas Congressman who went "under cover" to unearth the truth:

God, Jesus, Not Welcome at Funerals

Are you outraged? Now, I'm not.

Apparently this is a case where some well-intentioned veteran's groups are choosing to attend funerals of fallen warriors and provide "honors" in accordance with their traditions. That doesn't sound like a bad thing. I plan, when I shuffle off this mortal coil, to be interred at Arlington. I've earned the privilege and I want the e-ticket ride with caisson and folded flag and shots fired and a bugler if not a bagpiper playing Amazing Grace. That's my wish.

What I don't want is a group of folks to stand over my casket, urn or cardboard box of left-over body parts and intone some words to Baal, Allah, Jehovah or Mars. I don't want the Westboro Baptist Church, I don't want the VFW, I don't want the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Christian Science Reading Room. I hope that there might be a half-dozen River Rats and maybe one or two current fighter pilots to toss a nickel on the grass.

This policy flap appears to be about do-gooders imposing their view on a grieving family which may not be receptive. The requirement for a pre-review of a script might be onerous, but the need to ask the family if it would be OK with them to perform their ceremonies in honor of the deceased seems totally reasonable to me.

I'm not outraged anymore. I may be when more of this story emerges.