Consider the Source - Democratic Underground

NanceGreggs

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Fri Mar-26-10 02:20 AM
Original message

Consider the Source

We have been told by the defenders of those who murder abortion-providers that such heinous actions are merely a heroic attempt to save lives.

We have been told by self-proclaimed Christians that torture is acceptable, and humane treatment of our enemies, real or perceived, is something Jesus himself would never condone.

We have been chastised by adulterers and pedophiles about our lack of morals and strong family values.

We have been admonished by bigots and bullies for seeking equality for those of a “different” color, religion, or sexual orientation.

We have been labelled anti-American for chaining ourselves to fences in protest of a way of life that includes endless war – by people who accepted the act of chaining a young man to a fence, beating him, and leaving him to die, in protest of his “alternate lifestyle”.

We have been called irresponsible by the so-called fiscal conservatives who have spent our nation into unprecedented debt.

We have been admonished for being mindless sheep who believe everything we hear by the fans of mindless idiots – who admonish their audience to believe everything they say.

We have been called unpatriotic for refusing to ignore the plight of our troops caused by the very people who sent them into combat ill-equipped, and who ignore their needs when they return home, wounded in body and mind.

We have been warned about lazy Welfare Queens by politicians who accept government handouts to subsidize their personal interests and family businesses.

We have been preached to by self-anointed spokesmen for Jesus about the dangers of loving our neighbor, being our brothers’ keeper, caring for the poorest among us.

We have been lectured about the Constitution by people who supported a president determined, at best, to ignore it – and, at worst, to circumvent it at every turn.

We have been told by media pundits that broadcasters who incite violence against fellow citizens are simply Americans exercising their freedom of speech – and that speaking out against an illegal war is un-American.

We have been assured by pseudo-journalists that misleading the public – by commission or omission, or presenting opinion as fact – is simply part and parcel of freedom of the press.

We have been called intellectual snobs for deigning to be informed of the facts, and being articulate enough to communicate without mangling the English language.

We have been called elitists by politicians who live in well-appointed gated communities, and have their chauffeurs drive their children to private schools, and themselves to their exclusive country clubs.

We have been scolded by diaper-clad brothel customers and public bathroom sex solicitors for our lack of sound character and moral rectitude.

We have been laughed at for our insistence that global climate change is a reality by people who insist that the earth is 6,000 years old, and dinosaurs peacefully co-existed with man.

We have been belittled by alleged upholders of the law for demanding that the law actually be upheld.

We have been laughed at by those who cling to self-imposed ignorance because we keep ourselves well informed.

We have been railed against for our “dirty tactics, lack of transparency, and underhanded dealings” by those who have used the same tactics, hidden their malfeasance, and brokered backroom deals as a matter of course for decades.

And throughout all of this, we have not resorted to violence against the government in power, nor have we threatened the lives of those who have sinned against us as a nation.

We have not murdered those who are anti-choice and called it a life-saving measure. We have not threatened the lives of the children of politicians who sent our children into a war based on lies.

We have not encouraged our spokespeople to incite those who are angry to take matters into their own hands, nor have we defended the actions of those who have.

We have not twisted the words of Christ to mean something completely contrary to their true intent. We have not used Christianity as a sword by which to rid ourselves of those we disagree with, nor a shield to hide behind when we know we are wrong, nor a banner under which to raise armies to fight for causes we know to be unjust.

We do not embrace lies when the truth is inconvenient, or fails to serve our purpose. We do not use those lies as a means to pit citizen against citizen.

We have been repeatedly called “terrorist sympathizers” – and now those who hurled that epithet are blatantly promoting domestic terrorism.

What is happening in our country at this minute is not a matter of right and left, but a matter of right and wrong. It is not the manifestation of a difference of opinion, but the end result of fomenting opinions that inevitably lead to anger and violence – and justifying that end result by labelling death threats as innocuous, isolated incidents, and the perpetrators of violence as merely well-meaning but frustrated citizens.

Now is the time – not for all good men to come to the aid of their party, but for all good men to come to the aid of their country. The lines are being drawn, and the clarion call to battle has been sounded.

Where we go from here is not a matter of one’s individual political persuasion. It is a matter of our collective adherence to the law, and our sense of purpose as a nation. And those who would attempt to persuade us otherwise are the “enemies within” – and should not only be acknowledged as such, but dealt with accordingly.

Treason is a serious allegation; it is word that should not be treated lightly nor invoked unadvisedly.

But there are traitors among us this night - and we all know who they are. And so do they.