Yeah, I know. I’ve been slacking off a little this week. Between traveling on Mothers Day, and teaching a class in Atlanta, and then flying and driving back home, it’s been a busy time. Now we’re trying to get the house and the yard ready for the coming celebrations with Bonnie and Dane graduating from KU and Lawrence High, respectively, and then I immediately get ready for another trip after those graduation celebrations are done.
A couple of things on my mind. An old friend posted a meme warning people about Muslim Americans running for public office. He is under the impression that followers of Islam are going to take over the government of the United States and vote in Sharia law. I asked him how he feels about the separation of church and state, and whether the Supreme Court would allow such a thing to happen. I then told him that if a follower of Islam was running for high office and had five kids by three different women, had committed fraud through a fake institute of higher learning, had committed discrimination by refusing to rent properties to minorities, and had no experience with the role he was being elected to, I would stand right beside him to protest that candidate. He didn’t get where I was coming from.
In this country, we are equal. My personal opinion is that no law should be enacted that is specific to a race, a religion, sexual identity, or gender. Treat everyone the same. No laws that specifically apply to Muslims, Jews, Christians, Atheists, or Pastafarians for that matter. No laws that are specific to people that were born in this country, or people that have immigrated from anywhere else in the world. No laws specific to men, women, or members of the LGBTQ community. Equality. That’s where the argument should stop and end.
The posts went downhill from there. He’s supporting Trump and Trump’s policies. I pointed out that these policies are being supported by white supremacists and Neo-nazis… i.e. groups I would prefer to never affiliate myself with. He didn’t like the fact that I was pointing out that he is supporting the same policies as those two groups, and that people tend to be judged by the company they keep. I won’t associate with racists. The ignorance of bigots can be infectious, and knowledge is the only way to inoculate yourself from contamination.
But people that look a lot like me and have a heritage like me are drinking deep from that well of ignorance. They think that people of a particular religion are just waiting to kill us in our sleep.
I’ve had many international guests in my home over the years. I have never felt threatened.
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The only way we are going to advance as a society is through inclusion. Everyone needs a little help, everyone needs a place, and everyone can make their own contribution to what tomorrow is going to look like.
We need to move forward with hope and acceptance. We cannot let fear and divisiveness be the foundation that we build tomorrow on. That foundation will never stand. You don’t build a future on shifting sands.
So, that’s my entry for today. That’s about three days worth of rant, so I’m going to consider myself caught up a bit, but I know I need to write like this more. I need to get it all out there. I want my future grandchildren to know where I stand, because, ultimately, we will be judged by the future. I want it to be known that I’m for inclusion. It’s the only way things are going to work.
Peace y’all.
