Open Letter To The Haters

This morning, in a rare visit to Facebook to post a silly photo, I noticed a post from a friend (an actual friend, not just the FB variety).  It turned out to be a re-post from an ER doctor somewhere who was bitching about having to treat a Medicaid patient who had a gold tooth, lots of tattoos and a new iPhone.  The doc whined that "Our president expects me to pay for this woman's health care."  It was like Reagan's old story about the Welfare queen with a Cadillac -- apocryphal junk.  I was saddened that my friend had decided to share it with the world.

Right after reading her post, I came across an article entitled "Open Letter To The Haters", which makes an appropriate counterpoint.  I won't share it with the world, but I will share excerpts here.

I'll be seeing my friend later tonight at a party.  It'll be a great party, and we'll have fun, and even share a peck at midnight.  We sure as hell won't talk politics.  Everything will be light and breezy, and probably boozy too.  But in the back of mind . . .     
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An Open Letter To The Haters:

I meet you all the time. You hate Obama. You hate gay people. You hate black people, immigrants, Muslims, labor unions, women who want the right to make choices concerning their bodies, you hate 'em all. You hate being called racist. You hate being called a bigot. Maybe if you talked about creating jobs more than you talk about why you hate gay people we wouldn't call you bigots. Maybe if you talked about black people without automatically assuming they are on food stamps while demanding their birth certificates we wouldn't call you racist. You hate socialism and social justice. You hate regulations and taxes and spending and the Government. You hate.

You like war. You like torture. You like Jesus. I don't know how in the hell any of that is compatible, but no one ever accused you haters of being over-committed to ideological consistency. You like people who look like you or at least hate most of the things that you hate. You hate everything else.

Now, I know you profess to love our country and the founding fathers (unless you are reminded that they believed in the separation of church and state), but I need to remind you that America is NOT what Fox News says it is. America is a melting pot, it always has been. We are a multi-cultural amalgamation of all kinds of people, and yet you still demonize everyone who is not a rich, white, heterosexual christian male or his submissive and obedient wife.

You hate liberals, moderates, hell, anyone who disagrees with Conservative dogma as espoused by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. You hate 'em.

For the record, I do not hate you. I am embarrassed by you and nauseated by your cruel and thoughtless behavior and your all-consuming greed, but I do not hate you. I forgive you and I hope you can change someday, but I don't hate you. You have enough hate in you for the rest of us as it is.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/01/09/1053088/-An-open-letter-to-the-people-who-hate-Obama-more-than-they-love-America?detail=hide