This is the legacy of the Ultra-Conservative (Fascist IMHO) movement that has high-jacked the GOP, with the help of their Glorious Leader G.W. Bush and his head of SS Dick Cheney.
On Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:56:34 -0300, in alt.politics.obama Charles Aulds
Many of you who read this newsgroup are aware that I moved my family, my household, and all my possessions (including 6 horses, 5 dogs, 3 cats, 7 exotic birds and a fish) to the Canadian province of New Brunswick in October 2005. Why? Because, almost overnight it seemed to me, I became a stranger in my own community. I became an outsider by refusing to allow myself to be manipulated by my fears, hates and prejudices.
Let me be absolutely clear about one thing: I didn't leave the US because what President Bush and Dick Cheney did ... I left because of what my friends and neighbors did. They gave themselves over to hatred and to fear, and made me out to be an enemy for simply stating the truth. They were wrong. They know they were wrong, but how many do you think have demonstrated the moral courage it takes to admit it? That's why I can't go back ... yet ... because nothing has really changed. And it needs to. Let me be clear about this, too, these people don't own **me** anything. They owe it to themselves.
I have always been willing to entertain respectful challenges, reasoned debate, and informed arguments; but there has never been justification for the type of personal attacks and outright threats I've had to endure. Never. And it is with particular sadness that I realized a large number of them come from former members of America's Armed Services. Not one has ever come from an active-duty serviceman or servicewoman.
Most of these (usually profane) personal attacks were designed to "shut me up" through intimidation ... through fear, essentially. What's that called? It's called "bullying." And what did we all learn about bullies? We all learned about it by the time we were in first grade. Our mothers all told us, "If you'll stand up to him, he'll go away and leave you alone." What were we taught is at the core of bullying? You know as well as I do. It's "cowardice."
When people like these start their hate-filled diatribe in complete confidence that they won't be interrupted or contradicted, you don't have to respond with a lengthy or elaborate or eloquent argument; you don't have to be louder or more "in their face". You only have to stop them with a "I'm not so certain about that ...". They aren't expecting that. They are accustomed to intimidating people who disagree with them into silence. Because, to our country's detriment, bullying has been allowed to work in the past 7 years or so. Bigotry, hatred and fear-mongering have flourished.
When you speak up, no matter how quietly, when you offer an opposing position, no matter how tentatively . you have done your part; you have sowed that seed, because you have shown others that there is another side, equally as strongly felt, and usually far better grounded in reason.
Your silence, however, is almost always interpreted as tacit assent.
Nothing that has happened in the past seven years has frightened me as much as the passive complacency and silent assent exhibited by my countrymen and women when I believe they knew perfectly well that they were giving consent to actions that were morally and ethically reprehensible.
Never give your silent assent to evil. It only takes a few spoken (or
written) words ... but most of all, it takes the courage to be seen and heard.
___
Charles
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