Posted on 05/02/2006 1:10:54 PM PDT by meandog
New York, N.Y. – In her new memoir, NOW IT'S MY TURN(Simon & Schuster/Threshold Editions, 2006), Mary Cheney writes that when she told her parents she was gay, the first words out of her father’s mouth “were exactly the ones that I wanted to hear: ‘You’re my daughter, and I love you, and I just want you to be happy.’”
VANITY FAIR editor Todd Purdum reports that Mary Cheney tells her story in a voice very much like her father’s, and that she came out to her parents when she was a junior in high school, on a day when, after breaking up with her first girlfriend, she skipped school, ran a red light, and crashed the family car. Cheney writes that her mother hugged her, but then burst into tears, worried that she would face a life of pain and prejudice.
When Purdum asks the vice president whether he thinks gay people are born that way, Cheney scrunches up his mouth, fixes him with a look that says “Nice try,” then says: “I’m not going to get into that. Those are deeply personal questions. You can ask.”
Mary Cheney tells Purdum that her father “has very little tolerance for bullshit, pardon my French.” She also says that one common reaction from people who have read the manuscript of her book is “‘Wow, you guys really have this close-knit, loving family,’ and it always strikes me as ‘Yeah, of course we do.’ It was very surprising to me that people would think we didn’t.”
When Purdum asks Cheney if he is fatalistic about his heart disease, Cheney says, “I am. I don’t even think about it most of the time. You do those things a prudent man would do, and I live with it.” Asked what he would have for breakfast at Nora’s Fish Creek Inn, his favorite pre-fishing spot in Wilson, Wyoming, Cheney responds without missing a beat: “I’d probably have two eggs over easy, sausage and hash browns,” then hastens to add that that is not his normal breakfast. “The day I go fishing, I get off my diet,” he says.” At a roundtable lunch with reporters a couple of years ago, two who were present tell Purdum that Cheney cut his buffalo steak in bite-size pieces the moment it arrived, then proceeded to salt each side of each piece.
Cheney tells Purdum that he has not changed over the years, but perhaps many of his contemporaries think he has “because of my associations over the years, or because I came across as a reasonable guy, people have one view of me that was not necessarily an accurate reflection of my philosophy or my view of the world.”
Purdum asks Cheney if, during his “darkest night,” he has even “a little doubt” about the administration’s course. “No,” he tells Purdum. “I think we’ve done what needed to be done.” Of the debate over whether or not the administration hyped the pre-war intelligence, Cheney says, “In the end, you can argue about the quality of the intelligence and so forth, but ... I look at that whole spectrum of possibilities and options, and I think we did the right thing.”
Cheney rejects the caricature of him as the power behind the throne, insisting, “I think we have created a system that works for this president and for me, in terms of my ability to be able to contribute and participate in the process.” When Purdum says that the cartoon characterization of him must not be accurate, Cheney says, “My image might be better out there, this caricature you talk about might be avoided, if I spent more time as a public figure trying to improve my image, but that’s not why I’m here.”
Purdum reports that Cheney travels with a chemical-biological suit at all times. When he gave his friend Robin West and his twin children a ride to the White House a couple of years ago, West commented on the fact that Cheney’s motorcade varied its daily path. “And he said, ‘Yeah, we take different routes so that “The Jackal” can’t get me,’” West tells Purdum. “And then there was this big duffel bag in the middle of the backseat, and I said, ‘What’s that? It’s not very roomy in here.’ And [Cheney] said, ‘No, because it’s a chemical-biological suit,’ and he looked at it and said, ‘Robin, there’s only one. You lose.’”
Purdum talks with former New York Times reporter and former executive editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer, James Naughton, who asks of Cheney: “Does he acknowledge that he is not as pleasant as he used to be?” Naughton knew Cheney as a fellow prankster during the 1976 campaign, and all but sighs in search of an explanation as to why he is so different now. “I guess I would like to believe,” he says, “without any evidence to support it, that coming very close to death has somehow compelled him to act as though he only has so much breath and so much life, that he’s only got so much time to accomplish what he has to do. But the public figure is nothing like the private one that I remember.”
Gerald Ford tells Purdum: “He may have changed a bit, but that was required for the change of circumstances.” Ford, who will turn 93 in July, adds, “Times change, and people change as a result of that.”
“If you’re looking for a change from one point to another, being vice president is sui generis,” Lynne Cheney tells Purdum. “It’s not quite like any other job.”
The June issue of Vanity Fair hits newsstands in New York and L.A. on May 3 and nationally on May 9.
Either the Bible is the inspired word of God or it is not. You obviously believe that there are only parts of it that you need to obey. I disagree. It's ALL the Word of God. As I said earlier, we have nothing left to discuss.
If Jesus said it, I believe it.
No, I wouldn't allow my sons to sleep with girlfriends in my house. Sure there are consequences. My children could catch diseases, cause pregnancies, experience heartbreak. Those consequences would probably speak louder than my complete withdrawl from their lives. God allows us consequences too, but he doesn't abandon us either.
Actually, if Jesus said it, it is true apart from your, my, or Rin's, or anyone else's belief!
I believe the Bible because it is true. (Not: The Bible is true because I believe it...)
I might not have been clear. Of course, there is a point at which one has refused God for the last time and the consequences are eternal. But while we are still alive and even living in our sin, God still loves us. He will use every moment available to remind us of his love and forgiveness. He doesn't simply go away and leave us to find our own way back.
We have our whole lives in which it is possible to truly repent. That many don't, doesn't mean that God is stingy with forgiveness.
So who said a sinner should be abandoned? Keep in mind that sometimes they flee from the truth. When someone is clinging to their sin, they don't want to hear the truth.
Yes, I said it was written by John. It's clear, but it does not address the matter of salvation/damnation in a fundamental way. I told you that God Himself addressed the matter in His own words and you'll never understand John 3:16 until you understand the what God said about the matter.
Your attention is again directed to 2 Tim 3:16 Please explain for me the meaning of the word ALL... "All means all. The passage doesn't mean you can pick and choose as suits your purpose.
"...please list for us the particular books, or chapters, or verses in the Bible that you think are God's word.
You've failed to ponder and address what I have already written on the matter. I generally the Bible is the Word of God, in particular the words of GOd, in His own words are quotes. From #321, "God came here to teach. In order to know what He taught, who He is and what He is about, I'll go to the source. Whatever anyone else has to say, I'll reference back to the source. If you learn from God, then you can understand the word of God. There is no other way."
I believe that people have differing levels of understanding and awareness. I believe that some people need to have "rules" - they need to have everything spelled out for them and when they are obedient to the "rules" as they *understand* them - they feel good.
I believe others try to live a loving life. They try to make choices and decisions based on living in the Presence of God - in constant communication with God within their heart.
I believe the latter group can understand and even have compassion on the first but that the first group cannot see beyond where they are. They cannot see outside of the set in which they abide.
I liken it to the Islamists. The lower, or extremist Islamists want all of life to be controlled by "rules". And those that obey are called "pure" and are praised. They have no *understanding* of anything beyond that - no understanding of freedom of choice - of love as the highest of all virtues. Forgiveness is merely a word to them. They have no eyes to see or ears to ear. They are usually very fearful people. And it is usually a waste of time to try and reason with them...but it is important not to let them kill you.
LOL, you better duck, cuz the flamins are a-comin'!
Paul Schrader, right?
I'll post it so there's no doubt that this is John speaking about God, not God Himself speaking about Himself.
John 3:16-20
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."
"Either it is ALL God Breathed or it is ALL rubbish."
Your characterization isn't logical, especially after I've explained and laid out the relevant scripture.
Ummm, the posters here who said that the Cheney's acceptance of Mary's lifestyle was harmful for her soul.
LOL!! Yuppers, I'm just the nice Christian lady who points out everyone's sins...it's not that I'm a pain to be around! They are just fleeing from their sin!
You've got to be kidding me. Love for children and acceptance of their behavior or actions are two different things entirely. Do serial killers have parents that still love them? Of course they do. But I'm sure those parents would have wished different lives for them. My brother has been in jail for years. He got out last fall, and is already facing charges again. He has hurt many people, not the least of all his parents. I know my father always hated what my brother did with his life and the choices he made. And I also know that he still loved him.
I may not always agree with everything my sons do in their lives. They may do things that anger me, that hurt me or disappoint me. But I will never stop loving them.
Silly girl....
Yup. That goes along with Paul talking about infants in Christ getting milk and those not ready for solid food in 1 Corinthians 3.
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