And more on words

Some may be upset by the words of members of the left or the right in this country. I am more conservative, so I disagree more with the comments of the left, like Jimmy Hoffa, Jr. . Maxine Waters, Joe Biden, President Obama or many others, in part because I disagree with them, but also because they use language that is harsh and assaultive, while they are the first to wring their hands when conservatives talk in any way similar. I have even seen movies and books about the assassination of President George W. Bush or 'comedy sketches about shooting him on Air America.

However, in the long run, that does not bother me.




Why their words don't really concern me is that I have seen how reasonably the tea party members have acted at rallies and have watched the right and the left, to see what they have said in recent years. While the left has repeatedly called the right many names and called for the tea party to 'go to hell' or for leftist followers to take the 'tea baggers' out, the conservatives have said little, other than that we need to stop growing the federal government, the spending more than we have and the control of big government.

Those cursing the tea partiers are concerned that the big government handouts will be reigned in. They claim that the goal of the tea party is to have the government disappear, but I have never seen this goal expressed by the tea party. I have seen them ask for the growth of the government and its deficits and grasping at power be reigned in, and that government act in a 'reasonable' way, as they view reasonable. This is during a time that the government and its deficits have grown so large as to scare the strongest believers in large government.

Why I am not concerned by the language and hyperbole used is that I believe in the freedom of speech, unless someone is specifically calling for harm to be done to someone else. And, even more, I believe that if we allow everyone to speak their minds, they tell us who they are.

In recent decades, I have been able to see who wants the government to grow so large that it can become what we were warned of by authors such as George Orwell, in books like '1984' and 'Animal Farm'. We can also see who is civil, and who is not. And we can see who does not care what the government does, unless the 'wrong person' has won an election.

At times I have been disgusted by their comments, but I have also been enlightened. And I sincerely hope we continue to let them speak their minds. We may not truly know them by their words, but in the end, we shall know them by their fruits. I appreciate seeing them for who they are.