The language of intolerance is not without consequences. Unfortunately, the intolerant are too weak minded to understand the consequences of their own words.

So-called "conservatives", taking their cue from the "You're with us, or with the terrorists" jargon of their President, love to use the word "hate".

While they constantly accuse those who disagree with them of being "haters", as in "Bush-hater", which is practically a proper noun in their writings, the right-wing began to fall into its current pattern of extremism during the Clinton administration. Clinton is still a favorite target of right-wing haters.

The appropriation of the Conservative ideology by the extreme right-wing has its roots in racism, in reaction to the human-rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, which threatened their social privileges and illusions of superiority. George Wallace nearly rode a wave of fear and hatred to the Presidency, and seven elections later George Bush succeeded in re-mobilizing the hate movement, unifying racists, homophobes, religious fundamentalists and the just plain greedy to form an alliance that narrowly lost the popular vote in the 2000 election.

George Bush's handlers, in fact give some credit to George Bush, were smart enough to recognize that hate is a powerful weapon if you are willing to set your personal morality aside and use it. This is the essence of fascism, and the current culture of right-wing hate lacks only the label. Let's call it what it is; fascist.

The attacks of September 11, 2001 gave rise to a wave of terror among the so-called conservatives, and the language of hate and extreme pseudo-patriotism felt empowering to those whose moral values are insecure, and soothed their fears of a world that is changing around them.The Bush administration stoked this fear and loathing in order to carry out it's dastardly crimes against the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. The President, the Vice-President and top members of the administration cultivated hatred as a national policy, and bear personal responsibility.

The radio wave of right-wing hate has subsided somewhat, but it is not hard to find both local and national loudmouths who use ignorance, intolerance and hate to get their dim-witted listeners foaming at the mouth.

Of course, Fox News is now giving these hate-mongers a run for their money, with outright demagoguery masquerading as television news. There is a lot of money to be made pandering to the fearful and weak-minded.

Right here on these pages the implied violence of the right is on prominent display. For disagreeing with the president, I have repeatedly been accused of hating George Bush, the "troops" and my country.

Writers such as Amy Geiger-Hemmer and Jim Hayett frequently base entire blog posts on a message of hate and intolerance. Their comments on other's blogs are peppered with the word "hate".

In their ignorance, they think that whipping out the h-word wins an argument. What they and the right-wing media are actually doing is promoting violence and death. Yet, they deny any personal responsibility for the violence that they promote. Any personal responsibility for the wars that they continue to promote but decline to fight.

Last weekend, one of their kind decided to put his hate into action, and took a shotgun into a Unitarian Universalist church, a church that actively supports human rights and social justice for all people.

This is the end product of the culture of right-wing hate. If you preach intolerance and hate, you are promoting violence.

Personal responsibility may be denied, but it can not be escaped. I hope your God grants you grace.

 

I have refrained from writing about John McCain’s pastor problem.

I really resented the way so many people used Rev. Wright as an excuse to unleash their racism and guiltlessly attack Barack Obama for being black – and worse – attack the institution of the black church, which has provided hope and inspiration for African Americans during centuries of slavery and oppression.

Also, I think that mixing religion and politics is just a really bad idea.

Politicians should keep their religion to themselves. As always, Bush provides us a perfect example of how not to lead.

If, in fact, the President of the United States is a born again Christian, this means that he believes that for God’s will to be fulfilled, and for Jesus Christ to return, there needs first to be an Armageddon.

I have wondered if one the factors motivating George Bush, who claims such beliefs, and has also stated that he believes that God selected him to be president, to attack Iraq is that he believes it is his Biblical providence to lead us into the cataclysmic battle between God and Satan.

Personally, I don’t want to see a nuclear war so that the born-agains can get their reward of sitting at Jesus’ hand. Any more than I want to get blown apart by a Muslim fundamentalist so that he can get to his own version of heaven.

I think I’d rather have a clear-eyed atheist with his finger on the button, thank you.

John McCain, who has famously criticized leaders of the religious right as "agents of intolerance", nonetheless has spent the last year currying favor with these same televangelist preachers in order to pander to the religious right, a core constituency of the Republican Party since the days of Ronald Reagan.

Among those is the Pastor John Hagee, who is about as whacked out (or as prophetic) as a preacher can get.

Among his other bizarre statements, Hagee has excused Adolph Hitler for annihilating millions of Jews, claiming that Hitler was acting on God’s behalf, driving the Jews back to Israel so that Armageddon could occur and Christ could come back.

He blames the Jews for the Holocaust. And gays for Katrina. And your sins for 9-11.

John McCain has said that he is “proud” to have this sociopath as a spiritual advisor.

Today, McCain tossed Hagee under the bus. Like the four lobbyists who were his key advisors, but became a liability to his ambitions by being, well, lobbyists.

Considering the endless looping of a 5 second clip of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s most inflammatory remarks over a period of at least a month, and the inference that Barack Obama shared those sentiments, it will be interesting to see how long the media’s attention remains focused on the anti-Semitic rantings of Pastor Hagee.

My guess: one news cycle.

 

Senator Barack Hussein Obama has delivered this country a gift. He has opened the door to a serious discussion of the ongoing role of race, and racism, in our society.

 

If all you’ve seen is the clips on the news, you owe it to yourself - you owe it to your country - to watch the entire speech.

 

Don’t rely on the analysis of the commentators. Invest the 36 minutes to watch the entire speech. It’s on YouTube.

 

Many people expected Obama to simply denounce the Reverend Wright. They thought that he would take the usual tactic of saying whatever he thought would appease his critics, and then move on, trying to keep race out of the election.

 

Instead, as he is uniquely positioned to do, Obama made a sincere attempt to lead this nation into an honest conversation about, as he put it, the “racial stalemate” that we have been in for so many years.

 

Obama talked about the anger and frustration of blacks at crumbling schools and children who can’t achieve, about the disappearance of decent jobs and pensions that allowed black parents to support their families. About banks and mortgage and insurance companies that have systematically denied blacks the opportunity to buy a house and accumulate familial resources to be passed down through the generations. About how the lack of opportunity has resulted in so many young people turning to drugs and winding up in prison.

 

These problems are real, he said. They are not just in the minds of black people.

 

But he also addressed the frustrations and issues facing whites, who feel that the economic security that they have worked so hard for is being taken away, about their fear of crime and the blight that creeps from one neighborhood to the next, and a resentment of attempts to address the effects of slavery for which they personally bear no responsibility.

 

He pointed out that many, in both politics and religion, have used these fears to bring their flocks together. And it has to stop.

 

Each one of us has stereotypes, misconceptions and even fears about those who are different from us, not just by color but also by religion, politics, nationality and sexual orientation, or a dozen other ways.

 

In a masterful speech, Barack Obama warned that if we do not address the issues confronting us together, we cannot make the changes that are necessary to move this country towards “a more perfect union.”

 

This is a speech you need to hear.

 

 

My wife and I occasionally attend the Lake Country Unitarian Universalist Church in Hartland.

 

Last Sunday, the message was about grace, always a topic that is both reassuring and essentially disturbing, in that forgiveness is such a difficult gift to give. The essence of the message was that grace is to be found where and when you least expect to find it. Even in the direst of situations, there are blessings and opportunities for growth and gratitude.

 

Having recently lost my father to the inexplicable disease ALS, I was particularly receptive to this message and admit that at times my awareness was directed inwards, hearing but not necessarily following the thread of the pastor’s sermon.

 

At some point during the service, an elderly gentleman had taken a seat in the pew immediately in front of me. I noticed he was wearing a suit, which is unusual in the UU services where dress tends to be comfortable.

 

At the conclusion of the sermon, the UUs have a tradition they call the polylog. It’s an opportunity for worshipers to make a personal statement reflecting upon the message, or to raise a question for the consideration of the group.

 

After several people had commented on the wonder of grace and how they had experienced it, the gentleman in the suit raised his hand, signaling that he would like to have the microphone.

 

“I have attended this church several times,” he began, “and I have never failed to be offended. The thing that conservatives find so offensive about liberals is your insistence that you occupy the high moral ground. As though conservatives cannot possibly have the best interests of others in mind.”

 

“By demonizing conservatives,” he continued, “you close off the common ground, and deny the opportunity to work with us towards solutions to commonly recognized problems.”

 

There’s an argument there, and in another place and time, I would have enjoyed taking up the debate on the relative virtues of liberalism versus conservatism.

 

Then, addressing the pastor directly, the man said, “Congratulations, you have made me feel completely alienated.”

 

The thing that struck me about this self-identified conservative is that he would come, as a guest, into a worship service and then take the opportunity for reflection to insult his hosts, when by his own admission, he had arrived fully expecting to be offended.

 

What kind of values does that represent? Certainly not grace.