ONLY SAINTS DIE

 I will periodically read the obituary section in the paper.  I do it because it reinforces that only saints die.  The individual was always the most loved most wonderful family member who loved people and brought happiness to those with whom they came into contact.  I believe we can learn about the person the saint really was, the principles they held regardless of what they said, and who could really count on that person when they were really needed.  I also believe that in all situations respect should be paid to the family who we know are grieving.
 
John McCain lost his battle to brain cancer.  According to the obituaries he was indeed a saint.  His friends are paying him great and, we should assume honest tributes.  These tributes tell us a great deal as to the principles McCain really held. 
 
Here are some examples of what his true friends said:
 
“He really understood in the marrow of his bones what it meant to be an American,” Hillary Clinton said.
 
Dick Durbin paid tribute to what he called McCain’s “uncommon decency.”
 
“I think we could do with this kind of approach to politics and we’d do well to remember John McCain and his legacy as we go forward,” Jeff Flake said.
 
Shortly after the announcement of McCain’s death, Chuck Schumer announced his intentions to propose a resolution that would rename the Senate’s Russell office building after McCain.
 
Nancy Pelosi said that Schumer’s proposal “would be a great tribute.”
 
Obama said that despite their differences, McCain and he shared a “fidelity to something higher – the ideals for which generations of Americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched, and sacrificed.”
 
Obama said they “saw our political battles, even, as a privilege, something noble, an opportunity to serve as stewards of those high ideals at home, and to advance them around the world.”