Going through the stages of grief in the last week, I've found myself becoming disillusioned with liberal America. Our voices have suddenly become, to some extent, the bitter and angry voices of hatred and blame.
I have listened to and read the reasons from many Bush supporters about their votes. For instance, in Florida, while canvassing the neighborhoods to get out the vote for Kerry, an impassioned Iranian man told us of life under the Mullahs and how he was afraid that Kerry would not be as tough on them as Bush and that their terrorism, as he saw it, would be allowed to prosper. He felt that nothing other than brute force would work to free Iran from the Mullahs.
Two members, at least, from my extended family, were afraid that Christian values would be undermined if the Democrats gained control of the White House. They believe, with all their heart, that our forefathers meant for this country to be based upon Christian law and that anything other than that would demoralize us.
Some friends and colleagues of mine expressed grave concern about terrorism and felt that the command should not be changed in the middle of war. They were afraid that terrorists would find chinks in the armor if the administration changed now.
While I don't agree with any of these positions, I recognize that the common thread that ran through most of what I heard in support of Bush was fear. As difficult as it was to hear these positions, as difficult as it is now to understand that fear prevailed in America, I know that hatred of these people will not do anything other than push them further away. If we continue the policies of shame and blame, we endanger the very ideals that we mean to uphold. We then become the fearful.
Fear tears at the fabric of reason and reality, as we have all seen since 9/11. It does not empower, but rather the opposite. Fear is the enemy of peace. Fear opens the door to intolerance and repression by having us believe that whole groups of people should be targeted by association. Which is why this talk of `red states' and Jesusland is a harmful and fearful practice.
We need to remember that these people are our colleagues, our neighbors, our family and our friends. We don't have to agree or like their views. We should, by all means, continue work towards change and growth. However, it is imperative that we remember that we are about peace.
We are the people that fight for the civil rights of the oppressed and the disadvantaged. We are the people that champion human rights throughout the world. We are the people who embrace diversity. Well, what is more diverse to us than a conservative? By our hatred and our blaming, we are making them the scapegoats. We are playing more strongly into their fears that our purpose is to tear down the morals and values they hold dear.
Also, we should not forget that out of what we have come to see as a repressive society come some of the strongest leaders for change: Martin Luther King, Jr., Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, Bill Clinton, Linda Chavez-Thompson and John Edwards are but a few of them. We cannot discount whole populations of people because in doing so, we also throw away those who work within the structure of those populations for progress.
This is a trying time for us all. We've all worked so hard and hoped so fervently. This is not the time to turn our backs on the morals we have worked so hard to uphold. We must continue to be about peace in the world, or else we fail in our mission.
Update [2004-11-9 20:9:7 by The Mockingbird]: I also forgot to mention that talk of Jesusland and red states also negates the work of people who vote and work and march for progress, but live in so-called red states.