More Hollywood Hysteria: An Open Letter to U2

My friends that know me, know that U2 is my all time favorite band. Musically, I believe they are gifted beyond belief, their music is thoughtful and purposeful and it speaks to me on multiple levels. Heck, I even liked POP when it came out. In addition to that, I believe that they have used their fame to do much good in helping those in need. Where they fail, is in their politics. Sadly, they have missed the mark, and with their recent announcement that they will punish America for our presidential choice this year, have proven that they are only hurting themselves. They are not the spokespersons for the American people. Our spokespersons were elected this year. With that said, let me present an open letter to the band, which I hope you will share and spread to as many people, both liberal and conservative as you can.

Dear U2,

It is with much sadness that I write this to you. America has voted and our president is elected (despite much protest from those unhappy). It was the will of the American people. It has never been the popular vote that has elected any president in this country, in fact, while our system is not perfect, it is the best we have. I understand you are not happy with America's choice of president, many are unhappy. It will not change the fact that he is our leader now. We live in a world where we don't always get what we want. So, with that said, here are a few things I would like you to consider:

Just because things didn't go your way, I would like to remind each of you that you are a man, not a child. A mature response would be to say "even though I do not agree, I respect the process and the decision and I will follow".  I know you feel things are out of control, but as Christians, you must know that God is in control, even if you are not.

In fact, what it really seems like is that because things didn't go your way, that you are now in a place where it feels like the streets have no name, that you think we can't live with or without you, and you really just want to throw a brick through a window to express your disappointment. The truth is, you are acting like a boy and not men. I would dare say that you feel like a stranger in a strange land, and refuse to rejoice along with the rest of America.

You think you are punishing us for the choice you made, but what is going to happen in 4 or 8 years when our new president leaves office? Will you be expecting a sort of homecoming? I doubt you will be missed. I am sad to say that you will fade from the eyes and ears of the American populace as you take your exit, because we have chosen to not run to stand still and will indeed make it with or without you. So go ahead and trip through your wires, your money will run out and you will find out that sometimes you can't make it on your own.

It is interesting that someone who takes such pride on declaring things in the name of love has no desire for freedom for my people. If you want love to rescue you, maybe you should see that the hate being spewed is not from the supporters of our current president, but his opponents. If you fail to see that, then you're really going to miss it when love comes to town. But I think you already have missed it haven't you? You already caught that train.

Maybe if you gave us a chance you might see that we really are even better than the real thing, that it is not the end of the world, that we are not quite so cruel as you would believe, and that there are other ways (like ours) to accomplish throwing your arms around the world. I know it seems like we as a country are acting in mysterious ways, but take a step back and look at yourself. What is your one love? Why are you acting so cruel? Maybe it wasn't us, but you who missed it. I mean, after all, Love is blindness, right? When you look at the world, what is it that you see? Please! Wake up dead man! Maybe you have spent too much time in your relative safety and comfort and have become disconnected with us as a country because you have spent all your times in Discotheques and in the Playboy mansion?

Maybe the problem is not us. Maybe you are stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it. I know you want peace on earth. We all do. Personally, I don't want to see you just "walk on".  Or have you forgotten grace? Do you remember your own words? Do you live by them?

Grace, she takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace, it's the name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because Grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Maybe, if you gave America a chance, you would be one step closer to knowing. The truth is, there is no Miracle drug to fix things in this world. You act like everything is love and peace or else, but just breathe. Remember, we all grow and change with every breaking wave, and as men who grew up in Ireland during one of its darkest times, I would implore you to not be a perpetrator of the Troubles here in America, but rather help us work towards mending the rift that was created in our country and worsened over the last 8 years. 

You have a wonderful gift in your music and talent beyond most of ours measures, but you are squandering it on identity politics and selfish desire. You really are only punishing yourselves as you end up losing more fans. 

Think about it.

Struggling for the Holidays: Vets and PTSD

For many vets, having PTSD means suffering in silence. Misunderstood and minimized, often by their own family and friends, vets and military members suffering from this horrible condition are told to suck it up and work through it. They are told that they are like everyone else and their experiences, their losses, their anxiety and pain are minimized.

The truth is, that men and women suffering from PTSD and combat stress struggle daily, hourly even, with anger, fear, loneliness, anxiety and depression (among other symptoms). It is real. The pain is real, the sense of loss is real, the depression and anxiety is real. Don't believe that just because your loved one is there and around you, that they are not feeling lonely, separated and alienated. This is a common feeling with men and women who suffer PTSD and combat stress. Returning from a deployment means  the loss of a companionship and brotherhood that was formed in an environment that is often difficult to explain and even more difficult to understand.

Triggers abound in a world that was once familiar and has now become a strange and foreign place. Surrounded by loved ones and separated at the same time, the vet often suffers in silence, or is bombarded by questions that are often inappropriate ("what, did you kill someone?"), or even worse, minimized because of fear, ignorance, or just plain stupidity. There is a fear of being judged constantly by others.

We have a responsibility to our vets. To help them and love them. PTSD is a type of living death. PTSD in many ways is the feeling that you have died, yet are continuing to live on in a world that doesn't care or understand you. So how do you help? Listen. Don't talk, listen. If you must talk, choose your words carefully and meaningfully. Often times, vets want to share their experiences, but fear being judged. Listening quietly and non-judgmentally, patiently, goes a long way. Be honest in telling them "hey, I don't pretend to know what you are going through, I may never understand it, but I want to be here for you if you want to vent or talk". reinforce that they will not be abandoned. That you love them, that they have value. There are a million ways to show this and say this without sounding like you are trapped in a chick-flick. Be patient, because opening up takes time. Sometimes a lot of time. Respect the fact that your friend, loved one, who returns is not the same person who left. That person died and a new one returned in their place.

Look, we don't expect you to understand what it is like to see your buddy burn to death, die in an IED explosion, get ambushed, be in a firefight, experience the trauma of a military ER, snipers or whatever. I will tell you this, by standing by a vet, you can gain a better understanding of those things, you can experience an amazing friendship, relationship with one, and know what it means to stick by someone through thick and thin. We live in a society where people are considered disposable, and that is a shame. Our vets have sacrificed everything for us, and we ignore them. They left family friends and all the comforts we enjoy and take for granted, so we can continue to enjoy those things they left behind. Think about it.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

In act 4 of Macbeth, the witches conjure a spell where they tell Hectre it is a "deed without name". The second witch in her spell says "the prick of a thumb, something wicked this way comes, open locks, whoever knocks". I wonder sometimes if someone has cast a spell over our country, over the very people. I wonder if some witch somewhere has pricked her thumb and dropped blood into a black cauldron, proclaiming these very words. That at the proclamation of these words, someone knocked and certain doors opened.

I think of Johnathan Edwards' sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, where he describes sin as a slippery slope, and cannot help but think that we are at the brink as a nation. One foot in the grave and another on a banana peel. The enlightenment was no help to us at all. The French Revolution's cry of "there is no God but man" has so permeated western culture since the revolution began. Can you imagine what the world would be like if every man was his own ultimate authority and everyone did what was right in his/her own eyes? Sadly, I think we are getting a taste of it, and it doesn't taste good. See, we need to be careful what kind of sandwiches we make, because eventually we are going to have to take a bite.

So, that slippery slope thing... We are on it. On the edge of a precipice, dangling by a thread. The women's liberation movement of the 60's has given way to a rampant, hate filled feminism, where some will claim rape if a man even looks at them, and then pine over the fact that no one is interested in them. Add to that the dark side of the civil rights movement, and the inception of groups like the Black Panthers and their current reincarnation in the BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement. A cry of we are equal, yet they disrupt towns and traffic and some are killing cops and some are crying for war with whites. A far cry from the peace movement of Martin Luther King.

Then there is the doctrines of socialism and acceptance. Socialism isn't something for free, or all things shared equally. It is the sharing of all things or else, and someone's gotta pay for that free stuff. And acceptance of everyone and everything? It might be the biggest farce of all. The doctrine of tolerance is a false doctrine from the pit of hell. We, as a people do not have to accept everyone and everything just because someone says so. The truth is, the person that stands for everything, stands for nothing. The truth is, some people aren't worth tolerating (do not answer a fool according to his folly), and some beliefs are downright dangerous to our very way of life (Islam anyone? Socialism?).

Here's the thing... We have opened the doors to these things, believing that they are for our betterment, but in reality it is a peppermint flavored glass of Drano. All that glitters is not gold, and the poison we have been force-fed for the last few decades is taking its toll. Believe me when I say if we do not get rid of it, that something wicked this way will surely come. In fact, I hear it knocking, knocking at our door, waiting for us to invite it in and fully embrace it. Like a seductress, it woos us, it calls to us, it whispers in our ear the sweet words of acceptance, but pull back her veil and you will see the rotting corpse of political and social liberalism. You will smell the death and decay of the rotting body of belief that sits underneath. My friends, we need to stand now, more than ever for what is right, we need to step outside the 3-ring circus of the media and look at what's going on around us. I hope you will stand with me. Our country, as wounded and hurt and sick as it is, is still greater than any other place on earth, but it won't be for long if we remain silent. Time to speak out and take back the country we love.

The Forgotten Pledge: How Broken is America?

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation UNDER GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

So maybe with the elections right around the corner, and our country going through what appears to be another cultural revolution, I might be beating this poor horse to death. A friend of mine asked me to copy and paste onto my Facebook page the pledge of allegiance. For everyone that thinks it's cool to kneel during the anthem and disrespect the flag, maybe they should remember the pledge. I often wonder how broken we are as a country.

*You* pledge allegiance to the flag. It represents you as an individual and you status as a citizen. The flag which (despite some people's claims) represents freedom and liberty. Those freedoms and liberties that our spelled out for us in the constitution that represent each and every one of us who are born here, who work or have worked to obtain citizenship in this country,

AND the Republic for which it stands. A form of government in which the powers of sovereignty are authorized and entrusted in the people and are executed by the people, either directly, or through representatives chosen by the people, to whom those powers are specially appointed. We are unique in our form of government being a democratic republic. Unlike any nation on earth.

One nation: Not a divided America as many would have us be right now, but united by our common citizenry and purpose. United in vision and purpose for a better life.

Under God. Whether you believe in God or not (and I think you should, but that is beside the point), it points to something larger than ourselves. It recognizes that there is something going on here that is bigger than us as individuals and us as a collective nation. It tells us that we don't have to go it alone, and when things go wrong, there is a higher power ruling over everything, guiding and directing us.

Indivisible: Impenetrable, inseparable, joined, permanent,unbreakable, unified indissoluble. What we should be striving for as a nation.Recognizing that there are those that seek to tear us apart from within and from without.

With liberty and justice for all: meaning that we as Americans and our government are obligated to ensure that we (citizens) are all treated with equity, recognizing that we are all created in God's image, endowed with certain inalienable rights, no matter our race, creed or color. That justice isn't for just the elite, but for all men. This is different from mercy or grace. Justice means that we deal with fairness, honesty and integrity towards everyone and everything we do. Liberty is a grace, it is undeserved, so liberty and justice are in a sense, grace and fairness met.

Think of Lincoln's own words and see if they are applicable today:“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

We have terrorism, ISIS, Data hacks from foreign nations, countries developing nuclear capabilities, yet I can't help thinking that if we don't get our acts together, we are going to be the ones who destroy this country. Not Russia, not ISIS, not Iran or North Korea, or China...Us. We need to get back to basics. What was this country founded on? What made us a great nation? There was a time when we were regarded and the land of milk and honey. It wasn't that long ago. We still have a chance to recover it.

Something to think about.

Racist Roots in American Thinking? The National Anthem

Is the National Anthem a symbol we (all of us as a nation)can rally around, or is it rooted in segregationist racism and hate?

Recently someone challenged me on this. I hadn't heard this mysterious missing 3rd verse, or the controversy that surrounds it and Francis Scott Key, its author. I decided I would spend a few hours researching it (and him) for myself. What I found was interesting...

Let me start with the missing verse that references "hirelings and slaves" that so many are up in arms about: No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave". But is this really about slaves? I think in order to understand that, you have to read the whole verse in its context and examine what the author was saying, in the language of the day. Why is that important? Because Key was a lawyer. He used very precise language in the writing of our national anthem, and unlike today, words had meaning back then.

"And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Firstly, Key was speaking not of slaves in general, but of a particular group of slaves, who on promise of freedom would fight alongside the hireling (basically a paid soldier). The verse, while referencing slaves, is speaking to the British military when it opens by saying "where is the band that will save you (the British soldiers) after having made such big boasts about beating the colonials in the war of 1812.

Ironically, Key himself sought to honor both blacks and whites who fought alongside each other and for America. One CNN reported wrote ""The Star-Spangled Banner" celebrates the heroes who defended Fort McHenry in the face of almost certain defeat against the most powerful gunships of the era. America's soldiers included mainly whites, but also free and escaped blacks."

How do we know this? Because as the CNN writer stated "Escaped slave William Williams served in the US infantry at Fort McHenry and was killed by a fragment of a British bomb. Another escaped slave, Charles Ball, writes in his memoirs of being among the American soldiers of the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla who courageously repelled a night attack and saved the city. "The Star-Spangled Banner" thus honors American military heroes, black and white, without regard to race. In this respect, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is not racist.

Secondly, there is this: "But Key owned slaves" you might say... "doesn't that make him racist?" No. not necessarily. You have to understand that life is not just black and white. There are shades of gray all over the place. Can someone hold a slave and not be racist? Sure. For hundreds of years it happened in the Roman empire, Greece, and other places. People were made slaves for all kinds of reasons. Now, I am not saying that there were no racist slave owners. Far from it. What i am saying is that life is often more complicated than we think and we are foolish if we try and read our understanding of things back into history rather than draw the meaning of what was being said out of what we see and read. In theology this is called eisegesis (reading meaning into something, a big no-no) and exegesis (drawing the meaning out of it. Sometimes by understanding the historical context). Back to Key... He owned 7 slaves during his lifetime. He inherited them in fact. Did you know that he freed 4 of them? Yep. He even offered one of his slaves, Clem Johnson a home for life. He defended many black slaves and escaped slaves as well, fighting for their freedom. Most often for free. Let's not forget the American Colonization Society where he used the group to purchase slaves and free them and offer them passage back to Africa (what is now I believe Liberia).

Thirdly, things are not always black and white... Key did have issues with his belief that blacks were a "distinct and inferior race, and that they were "an evil which afflicts a community". This is a quote from one of his publications in 1839. Yet in 1840 he appears to have had a change of heart, and 2 years later he began freeing his slaves. What this tells me is that people change. Men are flawed. All men, be they white, black or whatever. Key is guilty to the extent that he was extremely pragmatic,and who, like many (not all) of America's founders and early leaders, put the social order ahead of human freedom. In the context of his era, however, Francis Scott Key was surprisingly progressive. Key helped establish the Georgetown Lancaster School for freed people of color and even taught there. Over 1,000 black children were students, and most attended tuition-free. What does this tell us? That Key was a complex man. That we cannot paint him with too wide a brush. His words about blacks are sobering, but his defense of them are equally vindicating. Did you know that Key won the freedom of Harry Quando in 1830 and Joseph Crawford in 1834? He took other cases as well. though he lost some.

Finally, what does this tell us? It tells us that men, all men, are to some extent a product of their time. It tells us that maybe, just maybe, he grew and changed. Maybe because of the very words he penned. People change. I remember reading St Augustine where he said something to the effect of "It is better to do the right thing for the wrong reason, than to do the wrong thing for the right reason. " I Suspect that what Augustine is saying is that no matter what reason Key had in writing the national anthem, the principles are good and true that stand behind them: Freedom from tyranny and injustice, the ability to pursue life, liberty and happiness. These are certain inalienable rights, because we are all created equal (regardless of race creed or color). I believe that if you fail to understand or see this, then you have totally missed the point. It is for this reason I stand by my original belief that it is disrespectful to turn your back on the very principles that eventually led to freedoms we all (together) now posses, and to do the opposite in fact segregates, it diminishes us as Americans and leaves us separated and weak as a country.

Remembering the Past, Looking to the Future: 9/11, a 15 Year Retrospective

Today marks the 15 year anniversary of 9/11. No doubt many will reminisce about where they were when the towers fell, what they were doing and the horrible spectacle that glued us to the TV's as it unfolded before our eyes. My military service ended 4 years prior, and I was working as a computer technician at the college here in town. I remember thinking "this is a Muslim terror attack", we'll be back there soon. 2,996 people died because of those attacks. Another 6,831 troops and soldiers have died fighting the war on terror since then. Nearly 10,000 Americans in the last 15 years. An astonishing number that doesn't even include the number of people from other countries that sacrificed their sons, daughters, wives and husbands along with us.

Since then our country has seen a lot of changes. We live in a society where memories fade quickly and we are off to the next sensational news piece. It's a sad state, because as someone once said, those who are ignorant of the past are doomed to repeat its failures. We seem caught in a cycle of selfishness and self service that sees new lows each time we enter it. We cry for safe spaces where we cannot have divergent opinions and beliefs, we cry for justice for criminals who are lifted up as heroes instead of prosecuted, we believe we deserve everything for free instead of working hard to make our dreams come true, and I wonder... Have we lost sight of what the American dream really is? Life, liberty, pursuing happiness through our own hard work and initiative seems to be a bygone idea of a past era for many (if not most),

I think about those who died in the towers and those who died rescuing them. I think about those who died in the flight over PA on flight 93, and the few who fought to overtake the terrorists on that plane. Heroes, tried and true. I think of all the men and women in our military who have sacrificed their lives over the last 15 years, and their families. Nobody survives war. The person that comes back is never the same. The old person is gone. Forever. I wonder how many people understand that. I remember watching somberly as people leaped from the buildings in desperation before they fell to the ground in ash and rubble, and the tears afterwards. I remember the faces of loved ones searching frantically for their friends and family members, praying they were alive. I remember the caskets coming home from the Gulf and Iraq and Afghanistan. I remember them young men and women as they returned home, many intact physically, yet changed forever.

I think about the Islamification of our country and the danger it has placed us in for the sake of political correctness, How the epidemic of radicalization is now sweeping the west because we are afraid as a nation, as a global community, to simply say no. No to terror, no to the ideology that breeds murder and mayhem, and wants us to simply live in an age of terror where attacks are "the new norm".

I for one, do not want to forget. I don't want to forget the loss of life, the pain, the sorrow. I do not want to forget the sacrifice of those on 9/11 and those who fought terror for a decade and a half afterwards, nor do I want to forget their families who have often times suffered in silence, forgotten and dismissed by a selfish society. I would even plead with my friends and family to not forget. By remembering the past, we can avoid making the same mistakes in the future. We can leave a better world for our kids and their kids. We can ensure that those who died did not die unavenged, in vain and forgotten.

The Race to Racism (or does anyone really know what racism is anymore?)

There is much ado in the media today about race relations, racism, the pending race wars, etc... It got me thinking about it and I have a few ideas I'd like to share with you. Let me list them out and then I will expand my ideas a bit an see if they are clear...
1. Why do some riots catch more media attention than others?
2. Trump or Hillary... Which one is really a racist?
3. The media fueled race war in America
4. What really is a racist? What is racist language?

Let me start by saying this: I have not seen one (ONE!) riot which was started fueled or incited in any other way by "conservatives". You do not see conservatives of any color or stripe burning flags, looting buildings, mob beating people in the streets. It simply is not there, and if there is an instance of it, it certainly is not on the scale of the liberal left. It seems impossible today to hold an intelligent nuanced view on something without someone pulling the "race card" on either side. In fact, language has become so loaded that it is almost impossible to speak at all without becoming labeled as a racist. Let me give and example... The word "boy". In the south was historically used to refer to black men in a derogatory way by whites. I get it, it's not a preferred word. I have also heard it used to describe whites in a derogatory way describing "rednecks" or groups of whites that blacks don't particularly care for. I have heard it used in good ways too. To say "these are my boys, they have my back" is just one example. I learned one important thing in counseling classes... Hearing is always in the realm of the listener, and it is not only the person talking who is responsible for what they say, but the person listening to listen with understanding. A lost art for most Americans I think because they presuppose their own ideas into everything. Reading your own meaning into something has become the norm for thinking in this country as opposed to drawing the meaning out of it. Now, let me get to the points I am trying to make...

Why do some riots catch more attention than others? It's an interesting question that I am sure has many different answers. Some of which may not jive with mine. But that's ok. It's my blog and my opinion. Here's what I think. I think... No, I believe, that there is a meta narrative (a fancy word for saying an overall idea or plan that gives meaning to something) that defines the media and what they want us to believe. There is a plan to "re-educate" us according to what they want us to think, know and believe. I think this is the driving force behind it. The Baltimore riots caught a lot of attention, as did Ferguson, but how did the Milwaukee Riots not catch much attention? Let me tell you why: Because there was confusion and doubt in the two former examples. There was a question (at least until the trials) in Ferguson and Baltimore, but in Milwaukee, a black officer shot a black suspect who was running with a stolen handgun, and turned with the gun in his hand towards the officer. It doesn't fit the narrative the media is trying to portray of police brutality and crooked cops. Despite the fact that the suspect's sister has said " Burnin down sh*t ain’t going to help nothin! Y’all burnin’ down sh*t we need in our community. Take that sh*t to the suburbs. Burn that sh*t down! We need our sh*t! We need our weaves. I don’t wear it. But we need it." and the city alderman Khalif Rainey stated "Rectify this immediately because, if you don’t, this vision of downtown, all of that, you one day away. You one day away.". To add insult to injury, BLM leader Deray McKesson said that "I denounce the state violence that led to the protests in the first place". These comments were all edited by the media or swept under the rug because they don't fit the socialist narrative of a corrupt police state. The truth is, there is still discrimination against people of all races. I have experienced it from blacks, hispanics, asians, and even other whites. What is interesting though is that none of that fits what the media is trying to tell you. That they know best what you need as far as information and how to think. They *want* you to think that all cops are corrupt, that all black criminals are innocent (and some are, I am sure), and that other races (particularly whites) have no idea what it is like to be discriminated against. And if you argue against this... Guess what? YOU are racist.

And that brings me to my second point of Trump and Hillary... Which one is racist? Hillary accuses Trump of racism because of his father's housing discrimination policies in the 70's and early 80's, and his father's involvement with the clan (neither of which actually say anything about Trump himself), and Trump accuses Hillary of racism because of her husband's policies on crime in the 90's and the fact that the KKK has donated some 20,000.00 to her campaign. They are positing an either/or for the public in the midst of a media fueled frenzy over racism (that really did not seem to exist in the 80's and 90's), but there is another option. Have you considered this? Trump only sees the color green. He is interested in business and money. It is his life. He doesn't care much for race. He sees America in financial trouble and believes that he is the best for the job. And Hillary? She would accept a gas chamber from a Nazi if she thought it would help her agenda. She doesn't even care for money. Hillary cares about power and will do anything to get it. Pure and simple. Neither is a racist. Yet the media will paint a very different picture where you must decide who is more evil, who has more self interest.

And that brings us to the "race war" in America fueled by the media. I remember before Obama got in office that race was simply not an issue with the majority of people I came in contact with. Whether you were white, red, blue, or green, it didn't matter. We all happened to be in the same boat, working to make life happen in a less painful way. Obama brought race to the forefront (I believe in a very careless way), and the media has taken it and run with it. There is a victimization mentality that permeates our culture as a whole, where we are looking at some way that whatever happens makes us a victim. Not everyone, mind you, but many if not most believe this, if not in words, then in deed. The news would have us think that whites are openly oppressing blacks, and spanish and everyone else. That all blacks are rioting and looting, and it is someone else's fault besides their own. But here is what I have seen. I have seen people. The responsible ones were not at the BLM rallies, they were on their way to work. They weren't looting, they were living and loving. There are plenty of whites out there with BLM and rioters causing havoc. Not much of it is reported though. it's not what they want you to believe.

So what really is a racist? Some of you might say it is anyone who hates or discriminates. You'd be close. Here is the dictionary definition (remember those things? We used to use them to make sure we were using words correctly): prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.

Well, that certainly eliminates a large percentage of people world wide, unless you belong to a white supremacist group, Black Panthers, etc... I honestly believe most people don't think in terms of "I need to discriminate because my race is superior". Maybe a better term is bigotry? Let's go with that... " intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself.". That includes a much broader spectrum of people. In fact, I would say that includes most of us. Let me put it this way... If I say "I support the deportation of all illegals because it is in violation of our laws", some of you will undoubtedly call me a racist or say I am a bigot. But who is wearing the bigot shoe? Read again what I wrote. Because I believe something is in violation of law I am now a bigot and intolerantly labeled as such? Or is the person who intolerantly labels me a bigot because the refuse to accept a different opinion than themselves? I would say it is the latter, and not the former. Is it possible to agree that we all feel for the hispanics in those countries that endure poverty and hardship and still maintain that they need to come here LEGALLY? I believe it is, but sadly... Because of the current state of our country, we cannot hold an intelligent conversation on anything. We get angry and talk over each other, we silence our opposition by labeling them racist or bigots. We are not as much interested in having genuine conversation as we are in furthering our agenda, our own beliefs. Maybe it is fear that we will be marginalized if we don't yell and aren't heard, or that we will be ostracized if we disagree.

Personally, I could give a crap what someone thinks about me. In recent years I have learned to move beyond that. At work, I don't care who I work with as long as we can communicate effectively and you do your job. Outside of work, If I offer to hang out with you, it is not because of your race, but because I find you a person of value, regardless of who or what you are. It means I like you. I had a pastor friend once say that the Bible only recognizes one race, the human race, and we are all in the same boat. It stuck with me. The Marine Corps had a similar philosophy--We are all Green. Maybe we should take a step back from social issues and stop branding each other and look at the individual person. Maybe we should stop listening to the liberal media that fuels fear and hate and sensationalism and live life as Americans who need to be striving to make America great. Or we could keep our heads up our butts and point fingers at each other and say "bigot, racist, discriminator"! Maybe we should look at the 3 fingers pointing at us when we are pointing at someone else and ask ourselves what is wrong with us first and what are we presenting to those who see us...