The news that Moveon.org is organizing a vigil outside Norwalk High School because Jim Himes is speaking tonight about the health care bill just rubs me the wrong way. Here’s what the definition of vigil is:
- Etymology: Middle English vigile, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin vigilia watch on the eve of a feast, from Latin, wakefulness, watch, from vigil awake, watchful; akin to Latin vig?re to be vigorous, veg?re to enliven — more atwake
- Date: 13th century
1 a : a watch formerly kept on the night before a religious feast with prayer or other devotions b : the day before a religious feast observed as a day of spiritual preparation c : evening or nocturnal devotions or prayers —usually used in plural
2 : the act of keeping awake at times when sleep is customary; also : a period of wakefulness
3 : an act or period of watching or surveillance : watch <kept vigil at her bedside>
Well unless moveon.org plans some sort of zombie experience, or otherwise has some health care religous thing going on what they are doing is an old fashioned, utterly pedestrian, demonstration.
I had a similar reaction when I saw that the "vigil" was scheduled from 5:00-6:00, one hour and it misses that whole night kinda thing. One hour seems kinda lame even for a demonstration. Now, if they had made it for 50 minutes, we could smile a bit.
Does this mean they think its a "dead issue"? If that the truth then I can get behind it.
So, somebody 'splain this to me. Did they organize a vigil because they didn't think they wouldl get into the building due to the crowds, or because they objected to Jim Himes (highly unlikely, but amusing just the same), or they objected to the Town Hall meeting or they objected to the Health Care Proposal (also highly amusing)? And here is the most important question of all….did they pray on school property??????? Inquiring minds want to know.