You know what’s crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy
Attacking the Message.
This country was founded on Freedom.
Freedom to choose. Freedom to be. Freedom to live life without hesitation or fear of reprisal for a belief others don’t agree with.
We are guaranteed a lot of Freedom in this country.
Freedom of speech, Freedom of religion, Freedom to gather peacefully.
A confluence of competing ideas is what makes us strong.
Saturday, Millions of Americans marched on cities like Washington D.C. and New York.
March For Our Lives filled the political spectrum with rallies and chants and powerful messages of change.
While the people at the rallies were diverse, the message was not, primarily focusing on gun control.
Everyone wants safer schools. Not everyone wants gun control.
And there in lies the divide.
Should there be more gun control? Depends on whom you ask.
That’s the beauty of this country. It’s OK to ask. It’s OK to have this debate. Freedom to speak and think and peacefully demonstrate is encouraged.
Life comes in many flavors of grey. There are no absolutes. Everyone has an opinion.
I appreciate the energy, the fervor the passion of the Marches.
What I don’t like is the violence and anger directed toward anyone who chooses to exercise their freedom to speak, think, to gather peacefully.
If you don’t agree with our message, then your message is bad.
It has become the new normal. That’s dangerous.
I am watching a morning news show. They are interviewing teenagers in Arizona. The kids hold an anti gun rally outside the school.
A small group of classmates hold a counter protest. They hold a flag that says DON’T TREAD ON ME. This group favors the 2nd amendment and says guns don’t kill, people kill.
It’s a long standing 2nd amendment message.
Right or wrong, it’s America and the freedom to peacefully state your case is the bedrock of our society.
So what happened?
The anti gun teens turned to violence when their anti gun message was not whole heartedly endorsed.
“They physically assaulted us,” one of the teenagers says.
That’s troubling.
It’s not like they were Nazi’s spewing forth hate with swastikas.
They were high school kids with a different message.
They had plenty in common. Everyone wants to be safe in school.
Rather than accept the differences, the anti gun group attacked the message because it was different.
Freedom was a train that ran off the rails.
That’s dangerous.
When we become afraid to publicly state our opinions because we are afraid of attack or reprisal, then the American Dream dies a little.
Discuss. Debate. Speak your mind.
Don’t attack ideas just because they are a shade of grey you don’t like.
Life’s Crazy