E Pluribus Unum

Dan Champion died last night. He was fond of saying, "Cancer is a jerk and I hate it." But I don't think the cancer got him. I think what finally got him was the news that Bobby Knight was going to get his own reality TV show.

Dan was a sensitive and funny guy. He was just as likely to go on (and on) about a painting by Edward Hopper as he was to show us a picture of a little Korean baby stuffing a puppy's head into his mouth. And you know what? I bet if you asked him which picture he liked better, he'd have thought about it for a minute before answering.

Once, I asked this question on my blog: "What is the worst psychological torture you can imagine suffering?" You know, it was one of those blog-posts that you put up when you can't think of anything else to write about. I got the usual responses -- but Big Dan had a snappy come-back: "Knowing every morning that I'm going to visit your blog, but not having the will-power to stop myself." Hee.

Please don't get the idea that Dan wasn't a serious guy. He was a mature grown-up (rare in this world), with solid values and high standards.

After the last Presidential election, I posted a map showing an odd correlation between the old Confederacy and 21st century Red states. Dan cried foul, yanked my name off his blogroll and demanded an apology which, shaken, I provided. I valued his friendship and his opinion.

And after the Iraqi elections in January, he told me he was proud of something I had written. It was high praise and I'll never forget it, or him.

Dan's cat Elwood died a few months ago and he was very sad. I told him that I believed that when you finally get to heaven, all the pets you ever had would be there to greet you. This morning, that's a thought that makes me smile.

Rest easy, man. You earned it.