[sinkspur]

We need America to strive for the goal of brotherhood - not tolerance. The brotherhood of Americans that is defined by respect for our own and each other's freedom and dignity and that brings high expectations and hopes and help that encourage and build each other up, regardless of race or personal circumstances.

Your post could have been written by Jesse Jackson. It's boilerplate; meaningless. There are white and black people I can barely "tolerate." For God's sake, don't ask me to foster some kind of phoney "brotherhood" with them.

Do your calls for "brotherhood" include embracing gays as "brothers" as well?

Around here, gays are not even "tolerated."

[ValerieUSA]

Nope, nothing I said is Jackson-like.
Tolerance is what he preaches, brotherhood is what I say binds Americans, and I don't specify color or any other special criteria.

Of course we don't all like each other... and we don't approve of each other's actions and words.
That's freedom - and expressing our honest feelings, thoughts and reactions is a form of respect. It is far more sincere to just dislike and like people as we choose, rather than treat everyone as if they are all the same to us.

What I want for every citizen is self and mutual respect. Many of the behaviors I disagree with would not be practiced so rampantly if fear, deception, greed and prejudice were replaced with respect.
I am not blind to the fact that this isn't the way of everyone in America, and I won't pretend to "tolerate" dangerous and dishonest people. But I respect everyone enough to be honest about it.

Trent Lott is not honest. He is a phoney tolerater. He is a self-serving manipulator as much as Jesse Jackson, but he uses smiles and handshakes and platitudes instead of silly rhymes and extortion.

I will not tolerate Lott any more than I will tolerate Jackson. I despise their deception and political tactics that do nothing to make America better.