MISSOURI WATCH: A TALE OF TWO CITIZENS

A wise old politician from St. Louis' unique and charming Italian neighborhood used to say he never worried about matters he knew about, only the ones he didn't know about. Since this particular denizen of The Hill knew just about everything and everyone within his political domain, what used to bother him the most were events in the state Capitol at Jefferson City.

And with good reason!

"I can never put my finger on some of those guys," he would say from time to time, but it wasn't from lack of trying. My Italiano amico felt knowledge was the only true weapon he possessed as he sought to represent the best interests of his constituents in a state as large as Missouri.

As a result, he knew more about bills enacted on the third floor of the Capitol and appointments made by the governor on the second floor than just about every one else, and that included the reporters and newsmen who spent every day within that marble enclosure.

This particular politician has long gone to his reward, but he isn't forgotten, thank heavens, by those who were alive when he was in his prime and who benefited greatly from his advice, knowledge and willingness to be of assistance. e don't have many like him left, even though we still have need of dedicated, principled and informed advocates of the public.

Do I sound old-fashioned and out of touch when I recall some particular political leader or community representative who lived nearly a half century ago? What use does it serve to recall an advocate for human rights whose life is only a memory among old men and women who still cherish their memories of happier, more personal days? Today we are governed by a different breed, computerized to the teeth, dedicated to the preservation of no ideal save their own careers.

Our White House is occupied by a 51-year-old who at an early age ducked all responsibility to his nation and has been accused of more sexual peccadillos than Don Juan. Congress is overrun with politicians who have cut more corners and deals than John D. Rockefeller and Jay Gould. Our courts are presided over by lawyers who were politically correct at the right time, substituting their own views for moral justice.

My friend on The Hill was a true patriot, who shed unashamed tears when talking about his America. He never touched a dishonest nickel and died financially poor. And he wouldn't have understood the term politically correct, for to him, it was only correct to advocate for his constituents, regardless of their politics, and be better informed than the enemy. He was, in a word, an exceptional American, a true citizen who pursued a responsibility to know and understand public affairs.

I thought of him again recently during a conversation with a well educated professional, whose opposition to constitutional rights for the poor, minorities and immigrants is iron-clad. An accumulator of wealth and a collector of special privilege, he personifies the modern Ugly American. Expressing disdain for the decisions reached by any elected body, he believes strongly in societal boundaries and, if truth be known, probably the Divine Right of Kings.

"Jefferson City is filled with ignoramuses," he declares without the slightest bow to his own ignorance. "Our legislators are in it for the money, so what can we expect from a pack of thieves?" During one of his outbursts, I mentioned my late friend from The Hill, hoping to teach by example but knowing full well that my poor attempt at contrasting views would go unnoticed. When I had finished, the iconoclast delivered his verdict: "Sounds like a dumb Dago immigrant." I unclenched my fist and walked away.

We are, indeed, living in different times. Intolerance has become the mantra of far too many. Indifference is considered wisdom by those who possess so little of it. Great books and newspapers have been replaced by TV and the Internet and culture seems to have disappeared from the American scene, replaced by the cult of trashy celebrity.

My friend never missed Mass, not because he could easily walk to his church, but because he never tired of giving thanks for the benefits he enjoyed as a true believer and good citizen. Maybe it's better he's not around to view today's world, with its best of times and worst of times.

~Jack Stapleton of Kennett is the editor of Missouri News and Editorial Service.