December 2011 was a memorable month. It was the month we saw a captured American drone displayed on Iranian TV, and an apologetic President Obama plead for its return after rejecting advice to destroy it for fear of offending our avowed enemy.
December is also the month in which two world leaders died. Kim Jung Il, despot of a belligerent nation with nuclear weapons and starving millions, left behind a world of diplomats completely baffled at the prospect of a 20-something Kim Jung Un taking over.
By contrast we lost Vaclav Havel, a revered freedom fighter who led the struggle against Soviet oppression in Czechoslovakia, not with violence but with the truth. To the end, he warned that indifference to the freedom of others would lead ultimately to indifference to our own freedom. He supported our intervention in Iraq because it removed the tyrant Saddam Hussein, and I suspect he was disappointed by our policy of appeasement in Iran. His voice will be missed.
At the same time we learned of the death of Christopher Hitchens, a brilliant intellectual, a gifted writer, a fierce debater, and a militant atheist. He combined a great command of the English language with a sardonic wit that disarmed his opponents. Among his favorite targets were religious fanatics, the Church, and God. This is a man who called Mother Teresa a fraud and the pope a protector of those who violate the innocent, calling this a clear sign of where the Church truly stands on moral and ethical questions. He also derided President Obama's Nobel prize. He said it was "like giving someone an Oscar in the hope that it would encourage them to make a decent motion picture." Hitchens may have been outrageous, but he wasn't always wrong.
Then we have sports, our nation's greatest obsession. In December we saw Albert Pujols demonstrate his loyalty to his adoring fans by turning down $210 million to stay in St. Louis and signing with the Angels of Anaheim for a mere $254 million plus another $10 million in bonuses.
There were no reports of protesters occupying his front lawn.
Meanwhile, Barry Bonds, who set home run records with the help of an assortment of performance-enhancing substances, was convicted of obstruction of justice and sentenced to 30 days of confinement in his 16,000 square-foot home. He is appealing this awful miscarriage of justice.
On Christmas Day NBA players returned to the court after a protracted lockout. The players, whose average annual pay is $5.84 million, had refused to play unless owners gave them more than half the profits. To demonstrate that money isn't everything, Laker forward Ron Artest changed his name to Meta World Peace.
I guess it's all a matter of perspective.
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