Following the death of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, a week of glowing remarks of the elder statesman overshadowed any negative press the former leader received in the past. There was no reference to the racist campaign ad centered on Willy Horton, no mention of his so-called war on drugs (the effects of which continue to ravage communities today), no reference to his numerous policies that raised the ire of many during his one term as the most powerful man in the free world.
An article began to circulate before his body was laid to rest that delineated his banishing thousands of Haitian asylum seekers to detention camps at Guantánamo Bay, his indifference to the AIDS epidemic, the Iran-Contra cover-up, the delayed release of U.S. prisoners of war, and the bombing of civilians in a war of choice in Iraq, to name a few. But his funeral highlighted none of these egregious decisions.
No funeral, saving that of Aretha Franklin, highlights the vagaries of this life. No family should sit in the pew of any church and be subjected to the faults and failures of the person they grieve. It is neither the time nor place. To the credit of the media, it was frequently stated that history would define Bush’s presidency. His actions should be harshly reviewed. Despite the revisionism we so often see with historical facts, there should be no escaping intentional wrongdoing.
We can easily attack the far-reaching actions of George Herbert Walker Bush, the aftermath of which will live far beyond his walk here on Earth, but he is gone now and the only value to resurrecting his past is to use it to measure our future. Failing to see how we personally fail to live up to a scripture – however those words may be twisted and shaped to afford our comfort – leaves a proportionate number of wounded in our path. We may not have harmed as many as a president with our more limited reach, but neither have we helped as many.
It is east to cast our judgment on Bush, Reagan, and Trump, despite the mandate to not judge. Indeed, it is our duty to demand more from our elected officials. But our greatest responsibility to each other is not to criticize others, it is to live our highest and best selves and, in that, perhaps we too have failed.
Christi Griffin, is the founder of The Ethics Project, a non-profit organization addressing the impact of crime, injustice and incarcerations, and the author of “Incarcerations in Black and White: The Subjugation of Black America.”
