Posted on 06/11/2005 5:20:34 PM PDT by rface
Milton continued, "Commentators like Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh told Americans to hate the liberals. It was a sure-fire way of getting ratings."
"I hate O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh," I said, "because they hate me."
Milton said, "Why does everyone write about how much the world hates America, and no one writes about why Americans hate each other?"
"I was thinking about it," I said. "Why do you think they do?"
"I can't blame it all on President Bush, but the hate factor in the country was raised to a new high when he said it was politically correct to do it."
"How so?"
"Hating fellow Americans didn't become serious until Bush decided to invade Iraq. Then both sides came out of the closet. The conservatives said war was a dandy idea, and the liberals said it was a lousy one. When it was discovered that there were no weapons of mass destruction, which was the reason for going to war, the liberals attacked the president. The conservatives called the anti-war people traitors."
"That was strong language," I told Milton.
"Adding gasoline to the fire were the 'elite' media [the L.A. Times, Washington Post and the New York Times], who editorialized that we got into a lousy war and didn't know how to get out."
Milton continued, "Commentators like Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh told Americans to hate the liberals. It was a sure-fire way of getting ratings."
"I hate O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh," I said, "because they hate me."
Milton said, "But what is really tearing the country apart is God. Every group insists they know what God wants for America. People are fighting over the Pledge of Allegiance in the schools, the Ten Commandments on government property and whether Americans came from Adam and Eve or from monkeys."
"I thought we settled that years ago," I said.
"So did most Americans, but the theories kept popping up," Milton told me. "Things really got ugly when the religious right said if you don't believe in Jesus then you are going to hell.
"Evangelicals are now going all over the country asking - no, demanding - that everyone be born again. The worst example is the Air Force Academy, where the cadets are asked to pledge their lives to Jesus. No one knows what blue skies they will fly into once they graduate.
"Everything has a religious background. The right-to-life people are against stem cell research, abortions and condoms. They are for guns, the Second Amendment and the National Rifle Association.
"One of the major issues is same-sex marriage. The right opposes it and the left, who couldn't care less, says, 'Get off my back.'"
I said, "Isn't it now true that members of Congress really hate each other?"
"It's worse than ever."
"I guess they can't pick a judge now without getting mad," I said. "Are all these issues political?"
"No," Milton replied. "They're personal. Americans are not born to hate, but it's taught to them at an early age and once you learn it, you never let it go."
"Tell me this. Do the French hate Americans as much as we hate each other?"
"It's a close call, but we're catching up to them. I could go on and on listing the causes as to why there is so much animosity among Americans, but it won't do anyone much good.
"All I know is, I'm right and they are wrong - and I'm certain they'll go to hell before I do."
Most of us don't hate anyone.
Nah, I don't think that's true either. In the really real world, it's suprising how well liberals and conservatives get along. It's typically on the internet, where all the unchecked anger seems to come to the surface.
Speak for yourself..lol...count me in the "not most" bunch. I think it's perfectly fine to hate folks who deserve it.
And worrying about it is silly.
I hate ragheads bent on destroying me. I hate the enemies within our nation and culture bent on destroying it.
I woulda hated Nazis, Bolshies, Mensheviks, Senderos, Imperial Jap Wingnuts, Jacobins, etc.
I strongly dislike and at times hate my ex-wife
I could go on and on.
They all deserve it.
Proof, atheist, proof. Give me reference.
Sorry...again I disagree. I know you are more moderate culturally than I am maybe that explains it.
My poor wife gets picked on by liberal goofy hausfraus all the time. She dropped out of her book club over it. It's bad enough around here that she now chooses to hang with like minded gals from church. Abortion really pickles leftist women.
Nearly all my friends and business associates are like me so I don't have that problem.
Liberals really loathe cultural conservatives. My cars have been repeatedly keyed.
And this is Nashville...not Berkley.
Don't kid yourself that it's not personal. I'll give the left credit. They understand what's at stake and make bones about using the will to achieve their aims.
Reference to what? Proof of what? What are you asking me to prove?
The doctrinal existence of hell? Is that what you're disputing? I thought that one was a pretty core belief. Is it not, any more?
It is hard to hate folks whose idiocy is so entertaining.
Neither has Rush
Don't you just wish all of the liberals would just move to France? We would still have a Democratic Party. It would just be the REAL Democratic Party and not that bunch of nut cases.
You can't debate a lot of those kind of liberals because they have no original ideas. They can't think for themselves.
And .. you are exactly correct!!
It's the usual projection technique the dems use - they say it's the repubs who are using hate speech .. when it's really the dems who are doing it. They have used this for years .. they just haven't figured out that we know how it works .. LOL!!
I don't want your beliefs. That's what some pastors pushed to make people tithe, raise the guilt level, raise the tithe.
Read Acts, Chapter9 like I asked you. Saul murdered Christians. Jesus saved Saul, who became Paul, one of Jesus greatest apostles, and wrote much of the New Testament.
So, if I am a liar. GIVE ME PROOF!
Look, I'm sorry, I totally don't understand what you're getting at. If you could explain a little more, perhaps I would.
Are you saying there is no hell? There are tons of references to it in the New Testament. Or are you saying it's so easy to be saved and avoid hell that there's no point talking about it? I don't see what Paul becoming a Christian has to do with anything we were talking about.
I hate very few people in this world, and I hate none of those for their thoughts. I hate each and every one of them for their actions, ie child molesters. IMHO, those who hate people for what they think, are messed up individuals themselves.
Step away from the pipe, Art.
I believe my impromptu list is about action spurned by thought.
Well, whatever that means....
My poor wife gets picked on by liberal goofy hausfraus all the time. She dropped out of her book club over it. It's bad enough around here that she now chooses to hang with like minded gals from church. Abortion really pickles leftist women.
Abortion really pickles the true believers in both camps. However, the truth is that in day to day life, the vast majority of people are willing to disagree, even about abortion without hard feelings, fist fights, or name calling.
As for your wife hanging out with the church ladies, more power to her. Interestingly enough, most of my own friends are from church these days.
Don't kid yourself that it's not personal. I'll give the left credit. They understand what's at stake and make bones about using the will to achieve their aims.
It's only personal to those insist on making it personal. My parents were Democrats, and I sorely miss both of them. My wife is a Democrat, and I'm glad I have her around. Some of my friends are Democrats, and my friends who are Republicans and I agree to disagree with them.
As an aside, since I've started going to church, I've come to find that we're far from being the only mixed marriage out there. There are lots of conservative/liberal pairings in my church alone that seem to be doing great.
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