Nobility in Science, Futility in Politics

My morning newspaper carried a story stunning in its implications for the survival
of mankind, and another dismally disappointing for the survival of our nation.

The first described a breakthrough medical procedure, performed on a gravely wounded
serviceman. His pancreas had been damaged to the point of non-function and had to be
removed. The surgeons removed it, sent the tissue to a lab in Miami. There some cells were isolated, salvaged, preserved and returned to the surgeons who transplated them into the patient's liver. The cells underwent mitosis and began producing insulin, acting as pancreas once more. The entire procedure was performed without removing the patient from the operating room. An example of the sublime heights to which the mind of man can rise.

The same newspaper contained the story of the failed efforts to pass and fund stimulus legislation directed at producing jobs in a decimated economy. The poisonous partisanship on display in the halls of congress, with Repubs promising to stall debate and progress until the next session, and Dem's surrendering principle to get some kind of bill, any kind, demonstrated the juvenile character of the people we elected to govern. Do they really reflect the electorate that put them in office? I refuse to believe so.