It seems that many say they are exercising their constitutional right to protest and speak out in the wake of the last election. They insist their protests and expressed opinions are reasonable and justified.
But to many of us, those protests and "reasonable opinions" look and sound very much like hate, bigotry, intolerance, and unreasonableness. Some even go so far as to come across as unAmerican and/or unpatriotic; even dangerous to America as we know it.
We watch it exercised in the streets: violent mobs obstructing traffic, blocking access to businesses, littering, destroying, burning, looting, vandalizing, committing assault and battery, and terrorizing innocent citizens. What do they hope to accomplish? What good can come of that? In interviews I've seen, the protesters don't have a good answer for that.
We see it demonstrated on message boards, on social media, in comments on the radio or television or you tube, in letters to the editor, on the editorial page, and too often in what is supposed to be objective news reporting. What is the purpose of this? Do they believe it will change anything? Nobody seems to have any answer for that.
What do those referring to the President in insulting terms, who express such anger and yes hatred toward him and those in his administration hope to accomplish with that? Do they see it as payback for real or perceived wrongs of the past? If others were wrong, then they feel justified and righteous with license to behave as the others did? Do both sides believe creating such a toxic environment will accomplish something? What?
Does anybody turn to God by being told he or she is going to hell?
Has anybody had their heart or mind changed by being called names and/or personally insulted?
Is anybody really swayed by demonstrated intolerance, obvious malicious fake news, biased reporting, misleading headlines and opening paragraphs, and flat out lies?
Or have we deteriorated as a society to the point that so many citizens actually have fun and enjoy being hateful, intolerant, insulting, destructive, and/or violent? It is sport and/or recreation for them?
They don't care that this fixes nothing? They don't care that it is creating a great divide among our people? One that might never be healed?
I wonder how many of us are left who long for a more tolerant, less angry, less hateful, more civil, more constructive approach that would allow us to actually fix problems and compromise on our differences?
But to many of us, those protests and "reasonable opinions" look and sound very much like hate, bigotry, intolerance, and unreasonableness. Some even go so far as to come across as unAmerican and/or unpatriotic; even dangerous to America as we know it.
We watch it exercised in the streets: violent mobs obstructing traffic, blocking access to businesses, littering, destroying, burning, looting, vandalizing, committing assault and battery, and terrorizing innocent citizens. What do they hope to accomplish? What good can come of that? In interviews I've seen, the protesters don't have a good answer for that.
We see it demonstrated on message boards, on social media, in comments on the radio or television or you tube, in letters to the editor, on the editorial page, and too often in what is supposed to be objective news reporting. What is the purpose of this? Do they believe it will change anything? Nobody seems to have any answer for that.
What do those referring to the President in insulting terms, who express such anger and yes hatred toward him and those in his administration hope to accomplish with that? Do they see it as payback for real or perceived wrongs of the past? If others were wrong, then they feel justified and righteous with license to behave as the others did? Do both sides believe creating such a toxic environment will accomplish something? What?
Does anybody turn to God by being told he or she is going to hell?
Has anybody had their heart or mind changed by being called names and/or personally insulted?
Is anybody really swayed by demonstrated intolerance, obvious malicious fake news, biased reporting, misleading headlines and opening paragraphs, and flat out lies?
Or have we deteriorated as a society to the point that so many citizens actually have fun and enjoy being hateful, intolerant, insulting, destructive, and/or violent? It is sport and/or recreation for them?
They don't care that this fixes nothing? They don't care that it is creating a great divide among our people? One that might never be healed?
I wonder how many of us are left who long for a more tolerant, less angry, less hateful, more civil, more constructive approach that would allow us to actually fix problems and compromise on our differences?