It’s Friday, raining, and I have a headache from my friend’s birthday party last night. The Dow Jones Index is below 12,000 (as I expected would happen) and the Democratic Presidential candidates are throwing sticks, stones, and names at each other. On such a fun day I decided to look for a positive item to discuss. And I found one.
Like what I have often found, the major media missed discussing this but it is on the net. Martin Sheen was honored with the Laetare Medal for his humanitarian work by Notre Dame this week. The medal is awarded to a Catholic “whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church and enriched the heritage of humanity."
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez, Sheen’s real name, is a well known activist. Anti-war, advocate of the homeless and poor, he has stood by his convictions with money and action. Whether or not you agree with his positions, and I don’t on several, his commitment deserves respect. So I’m not surprised at his receiving this award, which in the past was given to President Kennedy among others.
Why has this gotten so little attention? Is it because he is a pacifist, an older actor, or not in the celebrity trash magazines and television programs? Or is it because he is Hispanic and virtually all news of African Americans, Hispanic/Lationos and other minorities are framed and discussed in negative tones by major media?
Either way this deserves to get more attention. Like the fact that Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer, and thus more attention is being focused on this disease more attention should be given to the causes that Ramón Estevez stands by. [And I do wish Swayze the best in his fight against this horrible cancer. He faces tough odds, but a strong will is one of the best tools in fighting it.]
I salute Martin Sheen on his award, and his convictions. I hope that this award will help him bring more light to his causes. And I am sure that even without it, he would continue his efforts.
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