From: Sherry Grimes
Columbus
When I saw the front-page photo in the Sept. 6 edition of The Republic, my first thought was, “Here we go again.” The picture showed two women who were attending the pro-DACA rally in Columbus, each holding a sign. One sign said, “United Against Hate,” and the other said, “Love is Love.” I assume, then, that anyone who is anti-illegal immigration is a hater and also doesn’t know the meaning of love. It is possible to understand that we are a nation of laws and still feel compassion for the “dreamers.” “Hate” and “love” are words that should not be thrown around so irresponsibly.
Perhaps it is time for liberals to do some soul-searching, because conservatives are pretty tired of being called derogatory names. Maybe liberals still have some growing up to do, since it seems they are unable to come up with a better way to defend their positions. Children, not adults, resort to name-calling.
Many Americans must be very confused. As children mature and become more independent, adults encourage them to think for themselves and offer personal opinions. However, once they reach adulthood, they find a world of hypocrisy. In our politically correct climate, personal opinions, opposing viewpoints and hard choices are not simply unwelcome. They are not tolerated. President Obama went around Congress when he initiated the DACA program.
This is not a question of love or hate. It is a question of law and what is best for America. I am not discussing the merits of DACA, because that is not what is irritating me. It offends me that one is considered a hater if he or she:
- Objects to allowing special groups of people to break the law.
- Uses Christian faith as the basis for his or her position on social issues.
- Recognizes that open borders and PC are a threat to our national security.
- Believes that putting America first is a bad thing.
That’s right — it offends me. Believe it or not, liberals are not the only ones who get offended. Conservatives get offended, too. The difference is that conservatives believe in free speech, even if that free speech is offensive. Liberals believe that speech and thought should only be free if no one gets his or her feelings hurt.
We have come a long way from the days of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and John Adams. Oops, it turns out that even some of those guys were not perfect, so they are offensive, too. Of course, it doesn’t matter that these same imperfect men were key players in assuring that we still have (fragile) free speech that is protected by law. Unless we stop looking for perfection in one segment of American society and history, we will never be satisfied.
We hear so much about the benefits of diversity, but diversity is a two-way street. We appreciate diversity of ethnic cultures, diversity of religions and diversity of races. So why is it that diversity of opinions is so feared and despised by the liberal community?
