I do feel forced to say, nevertheless, that I shake my head in sadness and with sorrow for my country that folks who consider themselves to be patriots of either stripe would gloat over the circumstances of a man’s stupid, useless death, whether by someone else’s hand or, even worse, his own. Quite possibly Mr. Sparkman held himself to be patriotic and, by some twisted logic, justified his tragic and selfish act as an expression of patriotism.

Somewhere, perhaps far from the lonely, dark woods in which he ended his life, there must be those who did love him and are silently anguished by his fate. And it is for them that we should all now feel compassion.

Steven A. Ager, M.D.
Philadelphia

Bill, stop by the blog and say hello to Daisy Cutter and the gang.