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Letter to the Editor
'Memorial Service' for Wellstone Served No One
To the Editor:
October 25 was a difficult day for many Americans. We watched the news coverage of a plane crash in Minnesota that claimed eight lives. U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone, his wife, Sheila, their daughter, Marcia, campaign staffers Will McLaughlin, Tom Lapic and Mary McEvoy, pilot Richard Conry and copilot Michael Guess were killed while en route to attend funeral services for the father of a fellow statesman. An immediate outpouring of sympathy and prayers came from people all over the country.
As if the tragedy of the plane crash were not enough, we as a nation saw further
disappointment as the memorial service was transformed into a political pep rally. I was
saddened by the service. My heart went out to the families of those killed. Where was the sanctity of life, the respect and the reverence at that memorial service? Where was the basic human compassion that was so evident when the victims of 9/11 were remembered? Were the deaths of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, the space shuttle Challenger astronauts or Lady Diana allowed to be turned into a rally?
Regardless of Sen. Wellstone's politics, America lost a statesman and Minnesota lost a friend, a voice of the people. Sen. Wellstone's sons lost a father, mother and sister. The senator's grandchildren lost grandparents. The family members of the campaign staff and pilots also lost loved ones. That the memorial service was manipulated into
a rally is a disgrace to the family and friends of those killed. This plane crash happened in Minnesota, not some uncivilized country where life has no value. Our society values life. The lives of countless people have forever been changed by the tragic deaths of these individuals.
Each of these people has had a major impact on many lives. The lives of these eight individuals deserved to be remembered and memorialized. The families deserved a service of remembrance done with dignity and professionalism. The families of these victims, and the people of Minnesota, had something brutally taken from them in that crash. The loss was minimized, cheapened and disgraced by political maneuvering. Even the media appeared to have been taken by surprise by the service. That was not the time nor place for campaigning. The campaign speeches and rally atmosphere reflected a total absence of respect for the families and their loss. Behavior such as this merely increases the public's lack of trust and faith in our government.
During the holidays, will the politicians who "rallied" in October be there for these families? As those families sat at the table on Thanksgiving day and stared at the seats where their loved ones once sat, did they look back at that so-called "memorial service" with comfort or regret? As they try to celebrate Christmas, will the "WIN-WIN-WIN" fill the emptiness, loneliness and overwhelming sorrow of this tragedy?
The "professional" politicians who put this memorial service together owe the families an enormous apology. They owe the people of Minnesota an apology. True professionalism comes from the heart. It is shown by one's attitude, and in the performance of one's job. They fell well short of professionalism.
I recall an observation well worth remembering here: "Show me the manner in which a nation or community cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals."
May we all keep these families in our thoughts and prayers.
Martin J. Leatherwood, Leatherwood Memorial Chapels, Brady, Texas
Copyright ICFA 2002
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