It's finally here; election day '08. This Presidential campaign has been the longest one ever, and the amount of money spent on it has been staggering. I'm glad it is finally coming to a close. I'm tired of it, as I think most of us are. Now American's are heading to the polls, and (hopefully) by the end of the day we will know who our next President will be. One way or another, history will be made. We will either have the first black President, or we will have the first woman VP.
I've been old enough to pay attention to the elections now for 36 years, especially the last 32 years, and I have to say, I've never felt the tension surrounding an election like I feel this year. It's not just excitement, it is tension. One thing I have noticed is the absolute hatred and venom that most Democrats are spewing out. It is one thing for someone to say they don't like a candidate or their platform; but it is quite another to say they "hate" them. Not all Democrats, but certainly the extreme left a filled with hatred. They scream at us how they hate George Bush, they hate anyone who supports the war, they hate John McCain, they hate Sarah Palin. My daughter came home from school really upset a few days ago because when they were preparing for the mock elections at school, other kids were verbally assaulting her and others who wanted to vote for McCain. They screamed insults at her. They kept talking about how they hated Sarah Palin. Ashley asked some of them why they hated her, and all they could say is, "because she's dumb" or "because she's stupid." Ashley challenged them on this and asked them to give a reason why they felt she was dumb, or why they hated her. They could not say anything other than "because she's dumb." So Ashley said to them, "you have no reason to hate her, other than the fact that it's the popular thing to do to vote for Obama." So they started to tell Ashley that they hated her too. This is not just kids, this is what we are seeing across America. I've lost a friend (who happened to be black) who has called me a raciest and a bigot because I won't vote for Obama. Isn't ironic, my friend is a black man, but he accuses me of being prejudiced? Remember the old saying about not being able to see the wood from the trees? It amazes me.
Another example of the hatred. In our local online newspaper, a person can make comments about the articles written. You should read the hatred expressed not only for the candidates, but toward anyone who supports the Republican candidates or especially toward anything Christian. I've come to realize that there is an element of that far left group that is absolutely anti-Christian and they spew hatred louder than anyone. Ironically, they scream about the intolerance of Christians, but they are the ones who are intolerant. A trend that really bothers me is how we are seeing this hatred spread to the kids. As I pointed out with the story of Ashley in the high school, these kids are filled with hate, and they have no idea why they are hating, they just do. Where do you think they get this from? Got to be what they are hearing in their homes. I was out in Knoxville a few days ago taking some pictures in the park, and I noticed that the playground equipment had hate speech toward Sarah Palin painted all over it. I don't think adults are the ones going out there doing that, so where do you think the kids are getting this from? It's sad.
One final thought that concerns me. I've heard over and over on television that Obama has this thing won, and the commentators have gone so far as to say that if he does not win, it is because the election was stolen from him. I've heard people both on TV as well as here locally saying that if he does not win, there will be rioting in the streets. I have to say, this angers me. It is like a group of people is holding a knife to the throat, threatening America to give it up or die. Now I know that not everyone feels this way, but the fact that anyone feels that way is an indictment on our society. A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine and his family were verbally assaulted in a public place because they were speaking against Obama while sitting at their table. A group of men (who were black) literally threatened them, called them some vulgar names and then told them that when Obama won, then the blacks would arise and there would be white men hanging in the streets. Folks, hatred is arising in this nation like we have not seen in decades, and I fear it may be even worse. I hold my breath, along with the rest of America, and wait to see what the next 18 hours holds for this nation... an when all of that is said and done, then we wait to see what the future holds.
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