Thursday, January 30, 2014

Only Human?

Mike Grimm is a human being.

Bet ya didn’t know that, huh?

Mike Grimm is the Republican representative who threatened to throw a reporter from a balcony and break him in half because Grimm didn’t like a question the reporter raised after President Obama’s State of the Union address. The question dealt with an investigation to what might be illegal fundraising tactics by Grimm’s staff.

As someone who’s voted for plenty of Republican representatives, at state and federal levels, I’m not on Grimm’s side of the moral issue. Grimm threatened a member of the press, plain and simple. He didn’t vent; he didn’t rant. He threatened. But, as he says in his apology, he’s “a human being.”

I’m sorry; that doesn’t cut it. I’m tired of hearing “I’m human.” It’s a useless excuse.

What does this mean? That humans can’t exercise any more self-control than a wild beast? That humans can’t tell when they’re crossing the line from anger to a violent expression of it? That humans can’t tell what the end result of this kind of thing will be?

Michael Grimm, you are human. That means you have self-control. You have moral discernment. You have a brain that can figure out where this situation is going to take you. Wild critters, so far as we can tell, haven’t got that. But you do, because you are human.

As a Christian, I believe in the fallenness of humans. I also believe that even fallen humans bear, in some degree, the image of God. That’s why I also believe in moral responsibility. Being human isn’t an excuse for being driven by your passions. It’s a reason for reaching out for more.

I’m glad Mr. Grimm apologized; I’m glad he admitted he was wrong. But I’m disturbed, nay, angry that he explained his act by proclaiming himself “a human being.” Leave that part out, and I have no problem with his (so far as I can tell) sincere apology, which the reporter accepted. Say “I’m a fallen human,” and follow that up with a clear “I was wrong,” and I’ll applaud. But let’s not equate being human with wrath we can’t control, or words we can’t keep to ourselves. Too many people have done that already.

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