The Ukraine - perspectives

Remember my friend from Russia?  I wrote a blog about her because she is Christian and she stressed the importance of atheism in communism.

Interesting.

We were having lunch last week and she said, "I am from Crimea."  She explained that the area has always been Russian, everyone speaks Russian and that 90% of the population really did want to be Russian.

Hunh, that was a new perspective for me.

One of my best friends is Jewish.  I live in an area with a lot of Orthodox Jews.  They aren't very nice to outsiders and I understand that.  But, my Jewish friend lives in a rural suburb.  I visited her this weekend and she told me that she has been treated unkindly because she is Jewish, by Christians.

I was shocked, but it was a good reminder for me that prejudice still exists.

Also this week, I read an article about my step father.  Many articles have been written about him over the past 50 years, but this was the best article that I have seen.  While my step father was running the national championship race in cross country a fan of an opponent yelled, "Don't let that black kid beat you!"  The fan was referring to my step father - he took off like a shot, and won the national championship.  I think he even set a course record.

Finally, I read an article yesterday about a candidate for congress who is gay and a Republican.  Someone on the left actually called him a homophobe.

?!?!?

My point is that when we call everyone who wants lower taxes a racist or everyone who is conservative a homophobe, or any of the awful things that are being thrown around all the time, two things happen:

1. It cheapens the debate, the name caller has nothing to say and so, resorts to name calling,
2. It undermines the people who ACTUALLY have suffered from racism or anti-semitism or anything else.

Calling me a racist is like stomping all over what my step father went through and what my friend is going through right now.

Real racism exists, real prejudice exists, we need to ferret it out and work on getting rid of it.  We don't need to insult the people who have actually suffered by tossing around "racist" for everyone who believes in smaller government.

Do you understand what I am saying?