Eulogy for My Best Friend

Eulogy for Jacob Jones
July 8, 1980 - October 23, 2011

Jacob was my best friend. We were soul mates. I've never been so intellectually intimate with anyone as I was with my best friend Jacob. We shared everything.. the wonderful and the wretched.

Jacob was an incredibly beautiful person inside and out. He was very special and very intellectually gifted. His strong political views guided him... he wanted to make a difference that mattered to people. He wanted to fight for what's right.

Being in news together prevented us from having any visible leanings... but regardless, we did what we could on our own to get out the vote. A few days after George Bush beat John Kerry in 2004, we got together and visited a 9/11 exhibit at a museum in Fort Worth. On the drive home, we realized how incredibly moving it was.. then intense sadness set in. Jacob started crying. I started crying. We were devastated by the election results, and seeing what people suffered on 9/11 all came together in one big ball of emotions that day. We went to my house and just sat and held hands. His presence was always comforting, and we shared so many moments like that. Making things hurt less.

His wonderful compassion showed in so many ways.

Earlier that year, 2004, my daughter went off to college in California. As parents, we all prepare for that day, but it doesn't make it any easier. Heather came over, said goodbye, and left. I called Jacob and he was at my house in 10 minutes with a 6-pack of beer and the biggest hugs I've ever felt. He lessened the hurt for me. Something he was so good at. Then the conversation turned and it was my turn to support him... that same night, Jacob told me he was gay. He was scared but incredibly courageous. We held onto each other... it had a deeply profound impact on our relationship. That night we decided to support each other no matter what. He always said we met for a reason.. and it was to be there for each other. I like to think he's there for me now. And there for all of us.

I was so proud of his success through law school and beyond... so proud of the man he had become.. so proud of the self motivation to succeed. He put his love and compassion into everything he touched.

He wrote me this in an email a few years ago... I'd like to share it with you:
"We didn't ask for any of this stuff....but we owe it to ourselves to live the good life...and to give ourselves the freedom and courage to be as happy as possible."

I am so incredibly lucky to have existed in Jacob's world. He will always exist in mine. I love you, Jacob Jones.

Some Amusing Michele Bachmann Gaffes

Rev. Al on MSNBC tonight reported some interesting gaffes spoken by Michele Bachmann. She's an embarrassment to this country and it's starting to really irritate me.

1. Today she told a crowd in South Carolina, “Happy birthday! ... You can’t do better than Elvis Presley. We thought we’d celebrate his birthday as we get started to celebrating the ‘Take Our Country’ back tour.” The King died on this day in 1977. His birthday is in January.

2. In Waterloo, Iowa, she said how special it was to be from the same place John Wayne was from. Actually, John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer, was from Waterloo. The Duke was born in Winterset, Iowa.


3. She said "the founding fathers who wrote 'those documents' worked tirelessly until they abolished slavery." I thought they all OWNED slaves and it was about 100 years later that Abraham Lincoln actually issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

4. Giving a speech in New Hampshire, Bachmann said she was in the state where "the shot was heard 'round the world at Lexington and Concord." Umm... I think those cities are in Massachusetts.

Just some stuff I had to say. She's an embarrassment. How did she get elected? No history knowledge, she doesn't even read the headlines, and she's just plain dumb. I greatly dislike Rick Perry, but he's fixin' to ride circles around her. She'll be withdrawing soon. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are going to beat the pants off all of them.