I got a letter from George McGovern today. Nothing special, a form letter, probably sent out to thousands, but the fact is, I’ve actually met George and shook his hand. Four years ago at the Democratic State Convention where I was one of the delegates who nominated Deval Patrick for governor of Massachusetts, George was our guest/keynote speaker.
God, how he loved our state. We are the only state that went for him in the presidential election, of course, but it was more than that. We understood. Then and later.
When George came around, so did all of the women of our party, surging to get close, to shake his hand, to get a quick peck on the cheek. He was already older than Plymouth Rock and just as cracked, but there he was, the rock star of Democratic politic, eating it up, enjoying the limelight and the praise of the ladies.
You gotta love an aging Democrat.
But back to his letter. It was a pitch for Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The Southern Poverty Law Center monitors hate groups and extremists throughout the United States and exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media and the public. They’ve crippled some of the country’s most notorious hate groups by suing them for murders and other violent acts committed by their members. To learn more, please visit their web site at http://www.splcenter.org/
I started fighting hate and hate groups when I turning 14 and became a young reporter for a weekly newspaper in South Miami, Florida, working for a truly great newspaperman, Ed Seney. He taught me to respect journalism and to be a good reporter.
Thank you, Ed.
Citizen Poet 