I Am neither Stupid or UnAmerican
I am sure some of you will just delete this post without reading it, dismissing anything I have to say as "garbage," and then there are those who will read it, with minds so tightly clenched that you will never begin to UNDERSTAND anything I have to say. There are even some who will read this with an open mind, who understand my position and agree with me, but who choose not to set themselves up for public slander and abuse....I can't say I blame them. Que sera sera.
There is nothing like a neat little war, with such clearly defined "good" and "evil" sides, to bring out all sorts of opinions on what is and is NOT American, isn't there? I guess Bush's campaign promise to be "a uniter, not a divider" was just to get the vote (which he DIDN'T). In case you forgot, there is this minor thing called the FIRST AMENDMENT, which gives me the FREEDOM and the RIGHT to express, hold and defend my opinion. Uncle F called me UN American in the post he sent to me privately and called my opinions Anti-American, stupid, garbage and hogwash in the ones he sent to everyone else. If I am un-American for thinking something different from what you think, then you are just as un-American for persecuting me for believing them! At the recent interfaith summit in Chicago, religious leaders from around the world said:
"As we have since 9/11 and the beginning of the war on terrorism: we call for greater understanding; we seek to dispel ignorance; we ask that this be a time of humility not arrogance; and, we hope that all can be mindful of what we have lost." Reuters AlertNet - Muslim, Christian, Jewish Leaders Release Joint Peace Guidelines
And it is the brutish ARROGANCE contained in Uncle F's first post to which I responded! Have you already forgotten what we LOST when those people joined hands and stepped out of the windows of the burning towers?
After getting BT's forward of the emails sent behind my back on Monday night, I felt it was no longer possible to ignore the intolerant, myopic attitudes of those I call family, but I hesitated to speak out again, worried that some of you would think you HAD to "choose sides," and that trying to budge the cement in your minds and hearts was a task not worth my time. But then, I received Uncle F's post Tuesday morning in which he calls BT's speaking up "courageous," and MINE "Anti-American garbage"...enough is enough, dear family. Many of you (you know who you are) have thought of me as a lost cause for years, I am sure, so what will one more log on the fires of hell matter? I have loved you ALL despite your beliefs, (and in fact RESPECT you for your ability to hold onto your faith in these days and times), and I have only hoped you would love me in spite of mine, but perhaps I am more forgiving than those of greater "moral" fiber.
Uncle F wrote:
> those who unconscionably attack the foundations which
> have built and sustained America for over 200 years.
If the policies and tactics being employed by this government, the wanton killing of innocent women and children, the rampant revocation of civil liberties in this country, the arrogant draping of an American Flag over a statue of a fallen leader (no matter HOW sneaky and EVIL he and his regime were), and the ongoing media bloodbath, are the "foundations" that have sustained this country, then this county is in a BUCKET of trouble!! As an American, it is my RIGHT and RESPONSIBILITY to disagree with the "unconscionable" acts I see going on in the name of my country, and I can only hope to evoke change! As American writer, Edward Abbey wrote, "a patriot must be ready to defend his country against his government."
The email that has you all so upset was in response to that cocky ugly American attitude which described how our (Bush-led) forces were sooooo wonderful that this war took less time than it took Reno to "smoke" out the Branch Davidians or the vote recount in Bush-ida, I mean Florida. What unmitigated HUBRIS this country must have to dictate to the rest of the world how to think and what is allowed to be believed!! Doesn't god say something about pride going before a fall...(or was that Shakespeare...sometimes I get them confused).
My response was NOT a personal attack on anyone such as your emails have been on me; nor did my response call anyone, or their beliefs, STUPID, UNAMERICAN or any other inflammatory, chicken-shit name. By the way, I did NOT STEAL your email addresses, as Uncle F accused. I simply hit "reply all." (As a reminder, I am the one who originally collected most of them together and created a family web site, and so have access to all your addresses anyway).
Thank you, BT, for copying me on RN's email, and the one Uncle F sent out in which he called me, and my views, STUPID. Thank you, RN, FN and BT, for removing my father and sister from those emails, I assume, in an effort to spare them, but I have added them back in, just to make sure everyone has the proper chance to "judge" me (though I seem to remember that the bible has something to say about judging others? Aren't you supposed to leave that up to the big guy? Despite what you wrote, BT, there is NOTHING in my post that does NOT support the men and women FIGHTING this war, (though some of the smug, "let's blow these rag-head sand niggers to kingdom come" attitudes are appalling), nor does it denounce what Uncle F or my brother in law or any other soldier DID for our country. The troops in Iraq may not have the option, but as a mere citizen, I DO have the RIGHT to question, and the RIGHT to wonder why, and even the RIGHT to doubt the reasoning behind the war in the first place! I believe Bush has bad advisers, despite their incredible amount of education and experience, and that they are motivated more by economic engines, religious zeal and personal profit, rather than by what is right and good and true and BEST for the American people.
Believe it or not, my STUPID views are shared by MILLIONS of native born and bred, voter registration card-carrying, educated, outspoken Americans of various races and religions and sexual preferences, who did NOT cause violence or damage during the anti war marches and gatherings, where they were "permitted" to happen. Aunt C and I were in San Francisco on the day of the peace march you refer to, (Sunday Feb 16), and we saw, first hand, how rudely the police were treating the demonstrators and how they were pushing people off curbs, marching around like Nazis, swinging their little billy clubs, in full riot gear...truly frightening, and visions of Orwell's 1984 sprang to mind more than once that day.
I know you all think I am such a blot on the good name of this family, constantly in the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure, living in sin, gallivanting around the world, wantonly eating French food, hanging out with queers and socialists and democrats, not doing my duty and bearing children, not believing in the same religious, or moral, principles that many of the rest of you do. Nevertheless, I have always believed that you loved me, and would continue to love me, as unconditionally as I have always loved you, despite the small-minded, intolerant attitudes about those who are different from you that some of you possess. I have endured the gay/muslim/racial/etc. slurs and insults, (all made, I am SURE, in good "fun," of course), and made supreme efforts not to be offensive to your religious beliefs, out of respect and love. I have most certainly never libeled anyone, or their beliefs as STUPID or GARBAGE!
I have chosen to live my life with TOLERANCE and DIVERSITY, despite my genetic makeup. Despite having watched the towers fall down out my BEDROOM WINDOW, I still believe that a better way to fight terrorism is NOT to go spread it around the world, but to face it here in our own country where our governments, churches, schools and media are literally terrorizing us into submission - telling us what to think, how to think and WHY we have these thoughts in the first place! Perhaps there are those of you among us who have not experienced the freedom of an original, unpopular, derisive thought....pity...they can be vastly liberating!
Perhaps if our leaders could figure out the answers to WHY those in other countries hate us so much, then perhaps we could FIX what is wrong here before we start telling the rest of the world how it ought to live! - I mean look at our farcical foreign policy just to start... we have no problem supporting and helping Afghanistan, including the Taliban, as long as they were fighting the Russians, but as soon as the Russians left, we tossed off Afghanistan, in the words of a friend, like a used condom! Go ahead, curse France all you want, it is NOT an original thought. People have hated the French for years for their snotty, anti-American attitudes which are perpetuated by the arrogant, rude American tourist, but the bottom line is that they are a free country and we are NOT the boss of them, and they are entitled to their opinions of our actions. Sure, we saved their ass twice, sure they provide arms to our enemies, but to expect, demand, require, loyalty? Puh- leeeeeeze.
But then, this IS America, the country where we blame our schools and those fags and Jews in Hollywood for our illiterate, drug dependent children, where we whine about gas prices as we drive our 4 wheel drive SUVs through the crowded, polluted downtown streets of our nation, where we think we can deny a woman the right to her own body and where a president who loses the popular vote can still be elected to president. God MUST really love America!!
Just what is so un-American and STUPID about being opposed to war and the ugly subversive tactics we used to win this one? What is un-American and STUPID about being disturbed by what we are seeing happen over in Iraq, about what is happening HERE, where the very idea of Free Speech is being challenged? What is HOGWASH about questioning the RHETORIC of our politicians? Is it un-American to have an unpopular view? Clinton and his advisors sent bombs after Osama bin Laden when he was credibly linked to the embassy and Cole bombings, and this act was SO unpopular that Clinton was accused of trying to divert the attention of the nation off his personal scandal…what is it they say about hind sight???
You have defamed my character because of my OPINION! In some states, I believe this would be called a class 1 misdemeanor - I am sure cousin TN can correct me on that one, though I am sure the Patriot Act probably protects you in this case. You KNOW I am not stupid, and one can have anti-American opinions and still be a patriotic American, or has McCarthy been resurrected from the dead? I suppose now you can more easily BLACKLIST me from the family reunion for having what you deem as unpatriotic, un-American views. At least then you won't have to worry that I might show up with my Black, Muslim, bisexual boyfriend.
Aldous Huxley wrote of our "almost infinite appetite for distraction," and it is apparent that this attention deficit disorder is a nationwide sickness. For most people, this all began on a sunny September day, almost 2 years ago, less than 4 miles from where I was living. I had just gotten home from voting in the local primary, when our world was shattered. We were drawn together that day, there was new HOPE for this country, for our future, and even for our flailing president...then slowly, as the economy floundered, as we poured billions into senseless security bills and devices (security was NEVER breached on September 11th), turning neighbor against neighbor with rabid Patriot Acts, as we were unable to locate Osama bin Laden despite our vast resources, indeed as our beliefs in what IS American dripped away, our leaders decided that what was REALLY "necessary" was a war. We bring down the Taliban easily enough...and having tasted blood, turn to the next enemy...how soon before we turn to Syria and Korea? And I am sure France is in the sights as well.
My "views" on this war, and on this presidency, may be ANTI American, but they are not UN American, as you have all labeled me. Indeed, the very fact that I am capable of forming views and opinions that are different are a testament to my Americanism. Being labeled STUPID and un-American does not change my CONVICTION, supported by the very un-American tactics employed by our leaders, that this war was, and IS, WRONG
Most importantly, I am deeply hurt that Uncle F wrote me personally and said my tirade was un-American, but that he loved me too much to be offended by my post, and then he turns around and calls me STUPID to the rest of my family! My "tirade," at least, were my own thoughts and words, and not something someone ELSE wrote to be spread around the internet. It was not even personal, though apparently RN and BT have decided it was a personal attack on Uncle F. I could even hear the sarcastic "tone" in both RN and BT's email when they called me "beloved." All I can say is that you did not "read" my post, and you are being close-minded and intolerant, as expected. Of course, I assume most of you haven't even read this far, so what does it matter?
I think my very open acceptance and tolerance of your Christian beliefs and loving you all, unconditionally, despite the fact that you think I (and all my gay, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and atheist friends) will burn in hell for not believing in the "right" god, ought to have been considered before you start slamming me and damning my opinions all around the family. I don't call your belief that the Bible is NEVER wrong stupid, but I DO think any god that would give us such words as:
I Samuel 15:2,3: Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
Isaiah 13:15-16: Everyone that is found shall be thrust through; ...Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
Psalms 137:9: Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
is a god who has been MISINTERPRETED by man to man's own benefit. This god, and the men who preach such, should be brought up for war crime charges!!
William O. Beeman wrote the following for the Pacific News Service just after the attacks, and I think it needs to be remembered, especially by those who think my views are STUPID and un-American..
"Above all, Americans need to remember that the rest of the world has an absolute right to self-determination that is as defensible as our own. A despicable act of terror such as that committed in New York and Washington is a measure of the revulsion that others feel at US actions that seemingly limit those rights. If we perpetuate a cycle of hate and revenge, this conflict will escalate into a war that our great-grandchildren will be fighting."
If this is the case, I am glad I don't have any children...and I pray, in my own way, for BT's newborn son, as well as the children of my sister who will have to LIVE with what we have wrought.
5 years later...I still feel the same....Wrong war, wrong time wrong reason...wrong wrong. The Right is Wrong!
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