What about my rights?

I am offended. I’m deeply offended and I am tired of being demeaned and harassed as being an insensitive, hateful, bigoted, intolerant, sexist, homophobe all because I am a conservative and an independent thinker. 

I think that it is far past time that anyone who wields such descriptions of intolerance be hauled into court and sued for defamation of character. After all, I deserve a safe space where I can’t be abused as antisocial by progressive thinkers whose only way of diminishing my opinion is to belittle and demean me.

These people don’t know me. They do not know what is in my heart. They don’t try to understand my point of view. They simply dismiss my point of view because it threatens their narrow-minded sense of the world.

What am I offended about?

I am offended because the Federal Government is destroying the future of our children and grandchildren by allowing the deficit to spin out of control year after year. It doesn’t matter what the race, religion or sex of your progeny, eventually they will have to pay for the excesses of the current generation. 

I am offended that 53 years after President Johnson launched his famous “War on Poverty” we have made no progress. We have a huge bureaucracy that administers numerous programs to help but according to Wikipedia those living in poverty has grown from 30 million in 1965 to 43 million in 2015. 

I am offended that despite the Civil Rights movement, Affirmative Action and eight years of the first black President race relations in this country are worse than ever. I am especially offended that progressives blame this problem on white people despite the historic efforts most white people have made attempting to end racial intolerance.

I am offended by those who would desecrate our flag in the name of free speech. They might well have the right to do it but they disrespect the sacrifice of those who have given their lives to preserve that right.

I am offended by the politicians who feel they have the right to live like royalty exempting themselves from the laws they pass for the rest of us. Social Security and Obamacare would be vastly different if they had to rely on the benefits they legislate for the rest of us.

A great American once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” 

America is deeply divided today because the darkness of ignorance and intolerance is trying to drive out hate. 

Safe spaces cannot build understanding or enlightenment. 

Destroying the symbols and records of our history will only deepen the darkness by hiding the painful mistakes of the past.

Only the light of inspection and debate can help us to heal the wounds and build understanding.

Dr. Martin Luther King, the author of the above quote, would be deeply disappointed in the course of today’s political wind.

I am also offended that we have lost our commitment to our founding principles. Principles like those found in our Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”

Today it would appear that we have not only forgotten that powerful message but we have allowed our elected representatives to create all kinds of groups whose rights and privileges are superior to the general populace. This only builds envy and ultimately divides us. 

As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “..hate cannot drive out hate.” 

America is deeply divided today. If we hope to save it, we must all get out of our safe zones and re-examine the principles and the history that made us the envy of the world. 

Some of that history is painful. We can either allow that painful history to tear us apart or we can use it to help us build a better future for all of our citizens. A future where all of us – men and women - have an equal opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

Bill Forhan can be reached at 509-548-5286 or publisher@leavenworthecho.com.