Vis Lupi Est Grex

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Wisdom from TV shows. In an episode of The West Wing called "Take This Sabbath Day," Martin Sheen's character, President Bartlett, is seeking counsel from his priest over whether or not to grant a stay of execution to a man who will be killed in minutes. The Father says

You remind me of the man that lived by the river. He heard a radio report that the river was going to rush up and flood the town, and that the all the residents should evacuate their homes. But the man said, "I'm religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me." The waters rose up. A guy in a rowboat came along and he shouted, "Hey, hey you, you in there. The town is flooding. Let me take you to safety." But the man shouted back, "I'm religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me." A helicopter was hovering overhead and a guy with a megaphone shouted, "Hey you, you down there. The town is flooding. Let me drop this ladder and I'll take you to safety." But the man shouted back that he was religious, that he prayed, that God loved him and that God will take him to safety.

Well... the man drowned. And standing at the gates of St. Peter he demanded an audience with God. "Lord," he said, "I'm a religious man, I pray, I thought you loved me. Why did this happen?" God said, "I sent you a radio report, a helicopter and a guy in a rowboat. What the hell are you doing here?

Speaker Gracie Geremia has unwittingly found herself in a world of hurt, being named as a respondent to several lawsuits in the ASUN Judicial Council. She has been offered help in the past. She has been offered counsel and guidance. She has declined, having faith that things will work themselves out for the best. She has declined, believing that she will escape unscathed. She has declined, believing her course of action to be correct.

Gracie, you're being sent a radio report, a rowboat, and a helicopter. We don't want to ask you this later on: Gracie, what the hell are you doing here?