Why My Friend is Wrong

Recently, a friend, who also reads the blog, asked why I have not been discussing the big issues of the day. Issues such as "Korea, Yates, Flynn, Sessions, Comey, Putin, Russia and the French election." Admittedly, I have not discussed much about those issues. Those are issues that do require more research and more time to prepare. I fully acknowledge that it is likely that many readers would like to see me address those issues. Recently, I have discussed Hollywood propaganda (using the TV show "Designated Survivor" as an example), and the lack of tolerance for conservative speech on college and university campuses. My friend told me that those issues were the least of our problems in light of all the other issues he referred to. I disagree.

It is not that all of those issues are not important. Of course they are. But I believe the bigger issue is the civil war which we are currently experiencing. I have described it as a mostly non-violent war. You see, this war did not start with a few college protests. We have an entire generation that has been spoon fed propaganda by the Left - from Hollywood TV and movies, from academia and from the mainstream media. Not only have they been "taught" left wing views, they have been taught that those who disagree are the basket of deplorables - haters, bigots, racists, sexists, homophobes, and so on. Once those labels are attached, it quite easy to have no respect for such people.

We now have some newspapers refusing to print opinion pieces opposing gay marriage. The rationale is that gay marriage is the law of the land. Of course, when heterosexual marriage was the law of the land they had no problem printing news stories and op-eds in favor of gay marriage. Some papers will not print opinion pieces rebutting global warming. They say that the science is settled. Once upon a time the science was settled that the earth was flat. I am reminded of the death sentence given to Socrates for "refusing to recognize the gods recognized by the state." Some would like to see climate change deniers imprisoned. Shall we return to the time of Socrates, which was 2,416 years ago? Of course, we need not go back that far, as in the 20th Century, Communists in particular have meted out harsh sentences to those who dared to challenge the prevailing orthodoxies in their societies.

Today, we see young people unable to even hear an opposing viewpoint. Instead they need their safe spaces. Worse, it is not just young people. I was part of a group email with the aforementioned friend. After a while, I was kicked off of that group email by adults who could not tolerate an opposing viewpoint. And it is not simply an unwillingness to hear my views. I know very well what some on the Left think of me as an individual because of my conservative views. For proof, please go back and read my 7/29/16 post "A Personal Tale of Left-Wing Intolerance," as well as the 8/1/16 post "An Email Exchange With the Woman From the Last Post." That incident last year was not the first time I was yelled at by someone who disagreed with me.

Obviously, I am not the only conservative who feels the dislike and even hatred from the Left. We now have families where those who voted for Trump are made to feel unwelcome at family get togethers, and are even uninvited to holiday dinners. It's bad enough to see the violent protests and vandalism at colleges where conservative speakers are scheduled to speak. In a 5/10/17 piece by Michelangelo Signorile, which the Huffington Post saw fit to put online, this is what Mr. Signorile recommended: "Starting today and from here on, no elected official - certainly those in the GOP defending and supporting Trump on a variety of issues, for example - should be able to sit down for a nice, quiet lunch or dinner in a Washington, D.C. eatery or even in their own homes. They should be hounded by protestors everywhere, especially in public - in restaurants, in shopping centers, in their districts, and yes, on the public property outside their homes and apartments, in Washington and back in their home states."

Mr. Signorile continued: "The elected officials and White House staffers must be challenged going to and from their cars and at the many public speeches they give at organizations and think tanks throughout DC and elsewhere. They should be bombarded with questions and placards by groups of people as they head to media appearances at the cable networks where they spew their lies every day. And they should be challenged when they come off TV for what they just lied about."

Then there's this: "Paul Ryan, the House Speaker, should not be able to attend any function, eat in public, or enjoy dinner at home without hearing people expressing how his actions are harming their lives and their families' lives in terrible ways." Signorile goes on to state he is not calling for violent or thuggish behavior. Rather, he claims he wants to see protests the way the AIDS activist group, ACT UP, did in the 1980s and 1990s. Of course, he is dreaming if he believes this type of in-your-face harassment does not lead to people getting hurt, or worse. I do not remember any call to treat liberals/leftists with such disrespect while Obama was in office, even though many of us felt that Obama constantly lied and was a danger to this country.

The Left has been engaging in an effort to hurt the "enemy" (Republicans and conservatives) for some time. As an example, recall how they wanted to hurt Chick Fil-A because the owner said he personally believed in the traditional definition of marriage. And the hatred towards Donald Trump has been so great that we have heard talk of his impeachment from the day he took office. So, my friend is concerned about my not addressing certain "big" issues. Our country has always faced such types of issues. But, there was only one time when we were engaged in a violent civil war. Actual civility is not a value for the Left. We have seen it in the vulgar tirades from late night talk show hosts. We see it in the likes of Mr. Signorile's call for harassment and intimidation. We even see it in the mainstream media's name calling and demagoguery.

This civil war will not be north versus south. But it will, and already has, divided families - just as the first one did. Where this one will end still remains to be seen. But I fail to see how the possible failure of the United States to stay united is not the most important issue facing our country.