IGT

Melting Pot of Refuge

As a child growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, I was very reserved in that I had always taken the time to think before I spoke. Yet, when it came time to speak, I did. I spoke my conscience whether my friends or family agreed with me or not. I spoke my opinions whether my friends or family agreed with me or not. I debated and argued in some cases. I listened to other’s opinions and either agreed with, challenged or chose to ignore their rants as they did mine. Yet, I did so freely as I was taught as a child to consider all options whether I liked them or not and then to formulate my own opinions.

As children we were taught that America was a place of freedom, a refuge for those that had been persecuted because of their beliefs regardless of what those beliefs were. America was the great “melting pot” where people from every land desiring freedom could come and live without the fear of being unfairly imprisoned or slaughtered because of religious or cultural differences. Have the actions of the United States always been correct over the past 250 years? Of course not. We had our bouts of stupidity such as the days of slavery, and many others. Yet, it has come closer to providing a land of pure freedom for its citizens than any other nation on the planet.

Why? It is because we have always been made up of a land of “individuals” where individual freedom has always been at the forefront of this great democracy. Our laws were initially created so that all citizens could enjoy the rights of “individual freedoms.” We are bound by civil laws but these laws were never intended to bind us from our God given rights of individual inner beliefs, thoughts and speech. Our individual talents grow from the expression of these rights and suppression of any kind eventually leads to the same chains that bound our ancestors in days gone by - before they migrated to this land of unchained ideas.

This melting pot has always been comprised of various races and religions all living together while freely expressing their ideas, albeit not always in perfect harmony, nevertheless, in perfect freedom. We are one huge 350 million person family and as in any family there are various personalities at play. Those with domineering traits will always attempt to snuff out any kind of opposition. This usually starts with free speech. They will loudly ridicule and condemn the ideas of their opponents who oftentimes are the meek members that appease the situations by becoming silent and who direct others to watch what they say in order to keep the peace. These peacekeepers feel that they are being compassionate by being able to avoid confrontations in order to keep the family safe. However, their kindness and compassion will eventually be seen as a sign of weakness and will always be exploited by the oppressors to further abuse and suppress any ideas other than their own. The legacy that these silent ones will have left behind will be of weakness and weak-mindedness. The oppressors will continue unabated to destroy the self worth of them all by their unopposed and ever growing suppression and aggression as they will have gained the upper hand - and will use it as this always and inevitably leads to threats and physical abuse.

If we, as Americans, become too weak to stand up for what is right then those that seek to oppress - will oppress. They will dominate and then they will abuse their power to the destruction of individual freedom. Our nation must not allow an abusive member/group to overwhelm and overcome the rest of its citizens in order to destroy their individuality and self worth. Whether or not we like the ideas of another person, we must always allow others to have and express their opinions in a peaceful manner. One can be an Islamist. Another can be a Christian and still another can be a Jew. Yet, all should be freely allowed to express their ideas in a peaceable manner, even if it directly opposes the others. When one group seeks to stifle opposing ideas by threats then this is analogous to an abusive family member who merely seeks to dominate and control.

If our nation’s citizens become so worried about the abusive threats of one of its groups that we begin to suppress our individual opinions because we may offend the sensitivities of “the threatening group,” then freedom has already been lost and the domineering oppressive, abusive member has effectively won the day. Our nation that literally clawed and climbed its way to a high standard of freedom will slide backward very quickly to become nothing more than the types of nations that birthed our forefathers - those countries that we escaped from in the first place so many years ago. Then, when the inevitable physical abuses begin to occur, such as imprisonment for the unlawful expression of speech or ideas, where will the next melting pot of refuge be located?

Our nation is standing at the crossroads and is unfortunately turning toward the path leading to the suppression of free speech, which has only one outcome – destruction of individual freedoms. What groups are shouting the loudest in regard to hate speech and their call to suppress it – at least when it refers to them? Those associated with Islam, as well as, the homosexual agenda would be near or at the top of the list. We as a nation are being slowly and steadily undermined by the ideals of these radical groups whose goals are to suppress anything other than their own ideas. If we continue to tone down our right to speak what we want because we are afraid of inciting violent behavior from these groups then we here in the United States will shamefully lose our battle for the freedom that was fought so hard for by our forefathers.

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