clear your throat and conscience

and so the sweet words of sympathy poured in from politicians on both sides of the aisle for the slain guard killed at the holocaust museum. and along with the condolences for mr johns, were words of praise for the mission and purpose of the holocaust museum itself.

republicans and democrats expressed how a place like the holocaust museum, built to educate all people about tolerance, respect, human rights, the ideals that difference can be okay are paramount. and to understand not that the differences between people should separate us, but the areas of what we have in common should bring us closer.

heads were waving, fingers pointing, and hands wrung as all the politicians stated that something like this deplorable act of violence can not happen again. to anyone... ANYONE?!!!!

that is, unless they happen to be the lbgt community in america, where it seems to be okay to make derogatory comments on radio talk shows, or be blasted by the 700 club and evangelical leaders, or be told by politicians that marriage, adoption, and serving in the armed forces is wrong because you happen to be gay.

amazing how some people can talk out of both sides of their mouths, having selective prejudice.

"if i think my hate has merit i can spew it. if i find reason and rhyme in scripture, or believe here say based on false history, or if my parents taught me who to like or dislike, then by all means my hate is different than other kinds of hate, and mine is okay." yes indeedy!

it used to be okay to say women were less than the male gender. after all were they not chattel, god created adam and from his rib, HIS RIB, came eve. weren't women just one more piece of property to be bought and owned by man. it certainly used be okay to have "white only", and "black only" segregated spaces. and there were plenty of good "ole" southern ministers screaming from scripture making a case for no integration. and after all the blacks were brought here from another continent so they were never true americans. and who'd ever consider integrated marriages between races, god created white and black and a few other colors and he sure as hell did not want to blend those colors together. it would be giving a god a black eye, so to speak, if the races mixed.

lots of reason were given not to find the common ground, the human similarities, the essence of loving thy brother. and it seems those same reasons which loomed loud in the past for other minority groups in this country, never vanished even though some new laws were implemented to try and stop the hate. and even though places like the holocaust museum were built to change those views some stronger under current of resentment, self loathing and ignorance still prevail. and some mad man came to this place of peace to create chaos.

and those with the power of the pulpit, the political soapbox, the leaders of the pack, allow the evil to triumph over the good more often than not. making exceptions to hate.

and so the politicians had their 15 minutes of angst, and anger, and just say "NO" to bigotry. and as quickly as they could clear their throats they cleared their consciences.