Shoeless Joe and Ron Paul, "Say it ain't so..."

Say it ain't so--that was the utterance of a street kid who firs saw his idol Shoeless Joe Jackson come crashing down in scandal.  As for Ron Paul the disappointment was different, but it happened overnight.  The utterance of unbelief rose to a cry heard round the internet by thousands of Ron Paul supporters this week.  All this unraveled as Ron gave up the race just as his son Rand threw his support to arch enemy and globalist Mitt Romney.  What's up with that?  Perhaps the figurehead of liberty has sold his soul after decades of integrity, but what about the future of the Ron Paul movement itself? 

Most analysts I read say that it will go on stronger even if there is a serious power vacuum left by the fallen leader.  The whole drama plays out like a Greek tragedy this week, one where the respected idol comes crashing down in a heap.  Yet all this bad news does not diminish the strong growing liberty movement that refuses to rest on one personality.

In an interesting comparison, "Shoeless Joe Jackson", was an American baseball legend who played Major League Baseball in the early part of the 20th century. He is remembered for his performance on the field and for his association with the Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. As a result of Jackson's association with the scandal, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Major League Baseball's first commissioner, banned Jackson from playing after the 1920 season.

When Jackson left criminal court building in custody of a sheriff after telling his story to the grand jury, he found several hundred youngsters, aged from 6 to 16, awaiting for a glimpse of their idol. As the flash bulbs of reporters popped one urchin stepped up to the outfielder, and, grabbing his coat sleeve, said:
    "It ain't true, is it, Joe?"
    "Yes, kid, I'm afraid it is," Jackson replied. The boys opened a path for the ball player and stood in silence until he passed out of sight.
    "Well, I'd never a thought it," sighed the lad.

The "Say It Ain't So" story remains an oft-repeated and well-known part of baseball lore.  Comparing it to Ron Paul, I think the world feels the same, like who would have thought it?

God bless,
Bro Bill