A Tale Of Two Funerals

It was a little over a year ago. The occasion was the funeral for Coretta Scott King, the first lady of the American civil rights movement. Some 10,000 mourners gathered to remember her life and pay tribute to her legacy. What our nation deserved and her memory demanded was a memorial service conducted with dignity and respect. What it turned into, disappointingly, was a political skewering of President George W. Bush.

As our forty-third President sat on the platform, Joseph Lowery, former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, took to the podium and said:

We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew and we know that there are weapons of misdirection right down here.

Isn’t it amazing how Rev. Lowery managed to work in a dig at the President while still invoking the name of the deceased? Somebody please explain to me why, when a venerable leader like Coretta Scott King passes away, the first thing that comes to mind is, “Where are the WMD?”

Now before I go any further, let me state for the record that I am not an apologist for President Bush. I’ve supported him on many of his decisions, and been quite disappointed by more than a few of his others. The point I’m trying to make is this: where was the outrage from the left when this funeral turned into a political rally for the Democratic National Committee?

Some on the left chose to simply remain quiet rather than risk speaking out publicly against this classless display. Others couldn’t wait to applaud Rev. Lowery for using the pulpit as a platform to attack Bush. Representative Jan Schakowsky took the opportunity to write in her blog:

Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, President Emeritus of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a long time soldier in the civil rights movement and colleague of Dr. King, did what the movement has always done - speak truth to power, and was rewarded with several standing ovations. His poetic tribute to Mrs. King spoke of "weapons of misdirection...millions without health insurance, poverty abounds. For war billions more, but no more for the poor."

I’m sorry congresswoman, but that wasn’t a poetic tribute. It was a deliberate politicizing of a memorial service that should have been handled with reverence. There should have been quick condemnation from the Democrats and left-leaning pundits, but it simply did not happen. And for that, they should be ashamed.

So why am I bringing this up now, some fifteen months later? Because today another funeral was held, this time for an icon of Christian conservatism: Dr. Jerry Falwell. If you can use your imagination for just a moment, let’s play the game of What If. What if Rev. Franklin Graham had walked to the pulpit today and said:

We know now that our former President lied about having relations with an intern. But Dr. Falwell knew, and we know that character counts when it comes to our political leaders.

Does anyone, conservative or liberal, believe that such a statement would be appropriate at a memorial service? I would be the first one to step forward and condemn a eulogy like that. And I’m sure my friends that lean to the left would shout their displeasure from the rooftops. I can hear it now:

These comments today by Rev. Graham are absolutely despicable. No funeral service should ever be turned into a political convention. Rev. Graham should apologize immediately for his outrageous actions.

Of course, we know that Franklin Graham would never stoop so low as to do what Rev. Lowery did at the King funeral. But we also know that for those on the left, there is no place off limits when it comes to spreading political propaganda. And depending on who’s doing the talking, there is a clear double standard.