Fair Winds...

If you've been reading at all you know that there are several people from whom I draw inspiration.  I look to these people for reference, for thought provoking ideas, and sometimes to either confirm or refute something I might believe.  They never let me down.  Never.  At the top of this list is Charles Krauthammer.  I know I'm not the only one.  I know that there are tens of thousands who revere his writing and commentary.  I know my blog is some little inkspot on the vast social miasma.  But the letter from Dr. Krauthammer today detailing the graveness of his disease is at once both devastating and inspiring.  I've heard all of the tributes poring in on Fox News and read several beautifully written thoughts from Twitter to Facebook to traditional print media.  And they are all true.  He is quite simply a giant in the world of political dialog.  His humanity, his intelligence, his humor, his logic, his forthrightness will not be forgotten nor matched.  His persistence in the face of severe disability will continue to inspire.  I've missed him for the past year that he has been ill.  I shall miss him even more knowing he won't be back.  As we say in the Navy...Fair Winds and Following Seas Dr Krauthammer!

A Note to Readers 

By Charles Krauthammer

Opinion writer

June 8 at 12:01 PM

I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months. I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me.

In August of last year, I underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in my abdomen. That operation was thought to have been a success, but it caused a cascade of secondary complications — which I have been fighting in hospital ever since. It was a long and hard fight with many setbacks, but I was steadily, if slowly, overcoming each obstacle along the way and gradually making my way back to health.

However, recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned. There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final verdict. My fight is over.

I wish to thank my doctors and caregivers, whose efforts have been magnificent. My dear friends, who have given me a lifetime of memories and whose support has sustained me through these difficult months. And all of my partners at The Washington Post, Fox News, and Crown Publishing.

Lastly, I thank my colleagues, my readers, and my viewers, who have made my career possible and given consequence to my life’s work. I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking. I am grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have helped guide this extraordinary nation’s destiny.

I leave this life with no regrets. It was a wonderful life — full and complete with the great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living. I am sad to leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I intended.