Where is the Outrage?

Where is the Outrage that those whose policies and actions were most responsible for America’s worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, have spent the past 20 months blocking virtually every job creation bill, business development bill, and economic stimulus bill intended to speed The Recovery?

Where is the Outrage that they repeatedly said: “No”, “No”, “No” – while over 10,000,000 Americans lost their homes, their jobs, their life savings?

Where is the Outrage that they chose to spend their time trying to make America’s President fail, instead of spending their time trying to make America succeed?

Where is the Outrage that instead of using their influence to help Americans get out from beneath the crushing weight of the economic collapse, they used it to block The Recovery – for fear that a recovery credited to the Democrats would spell political devastation for the Republican Party for years to come?

Where is the Outrage that they deliberately lied, distorted the truth and misrepresented the facts on issue after issue – for the benefit of their own political interests – and the detriment of ordinary Americans?

Where is the Outrage that their leaders promoted fear . . . anger . . . hatred . . . and divisiveness – instead of offering solutions?

 Where is the Outrage that in a time of severe economic crisis for the American people, they decided that it was better to rip this country in two – turning neighbor against neighbor; sister against brother; American against American – rather than bring us together?

Where is the Outrage that they played politics with people’s lives?

Unlike their attempts to hijack public forums by encouraging followers to shout, scream and brandish weapons to intimidate those with opposing viewpoints – there is only one suitable way for you and I to express OUR outrage – and that’s at the voting booth on Tuesday, November 2nd.

Tell them how outraged you are that they chose to ignore the pleas and cries of their fellow Americans in order to further their own political goals.

Tell them with your vote.

Pass it on . . .

Is Hatred Really Freedom of Speech?

Note: I recently stumbled across this letter to the editor I wrote just over a year ago.  Sadly, it's still all too true. -- John


I agree that freedom of speech is a paramount American liberty. However, at what point does YOUR freedom of speech impinge upon my own freedoms?

We have all come to learn that giving a soap box to those who spew anger and hatred towards others encourages action and, often, violence. You can veil it any way you choose, but promoting hatred towards others seldom leads to promoting freedoms. In fact, it almost always promotes the exact opposite.

When Glen Beck encourages his audience to believe that Obama is a racist and hates white people, it stirs up a deep-seated anger and provides a "cover" beneath which to justify actions which could, otherwise, never be justifiable. Same goes for Bill O'Reilly's anger toward George Tiller. And it is not just Beck or O’Reilly or the hosts at Fox News.

When the people we entrust to conduct the national dialog, use their positions to incite anger and (eventually and unavoidably) violence, we ALL lose our freedoms.

It's one thing to address people's existing fears and concerns.

It is entirely something else to CREATE them.
 
 
John Epstein
August 2009