Archive for September, 2010

I figured I’d weigh in on this subject. First off, I like kids. I don’t have any, but I like ‘em. I don’t however, like ‘em screaming and crying while I’m out trying to eat a nice meal. There used to be an established protocol to prevent this. The parent, either the father or mother, would usher the child away when he or she started misbehaving. This doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. I’m not sure why, maybe people aren’t taught manners or maybe they’re just too lazy to get up out of their seat. Either way, it’s just plain annoying. Restaurant managers, afraid of alienating these rude people, just leave them alone to annoy the rest of their patrons. It’s one reason I’ll never return to the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant not far from where I live. I just think a little courtesy goes a long way.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the upcoming plan of a Gainesville so-called “Pastor” to burn Qurans on September 11th. The first thought I had was how un-Christian and un-American an act this is. In my opinion, this is simply something Jesus would NOT do. My second thought was how this disgraces the memory of the 32 moderate (repeat MODERATE) Muslim innocents who died that day. They were just living their lives to the best of their abilities, as we all are, and now this “Pastor” is planning to desecrate their memory and figuratively plunge a knife into the hearts of their families. It really saddens and angers me. My third thought was how this reminds me of Nazi Germany in 1934, when the Germans started by burning books and ended by burning bodies. Germany was one of the most enlightened and culturally advanced societies at the time. My hope is that this guy is only doing this for publicity and money, and will not go through with it. We need to respect each others faiths, and show some civility That’s one of the bedrocks this country was built on – beginning with the Pilgrims fleeing religious persecution in the 17th Century (remember that from your history books?). We don’t have to befriend each other, or even like each other – how about simply some TOLERATION and a “live-and-let-live” attitude? That’s the way I was raised, and I make no apologies for it.

President Bush was on-the-mark when he said “We respect Islam. But we will protect our people from those who pervert Islam to sow death and destruction,” Bush said. “Our goal is to help you build a more tolerant and hopeful society that honors people of ALL faiths and promotes the peace.” That point needs to be stressed – that the people who committed the egregious act against our fellow Americans 9 years ago were perverting Islam as extremists, and we as Americans are a better people than to simply stereotype and lump all Muslim people into one category. That happened in Germany in the 1930s and ended with the deaths of millions of innocent Jews, along with millions of Christians. This “Pastor” is sowing the seeds of death and destruction by way of his egomania and ignorance.

We cannot and should not allow our country to fall into the same patterns of disregarding the rights of others to live in peace among us. It’s time for all of us to speak out against the promoters of intolerance no matter what their race or religion is.