The way I was raised
In the town where I grew up, I was taught that there were interesting families of people from all over the world, and that I was to respect the rights of people from cultures that were different from mine. My first nanny was Mohawk, my dad's best friend was his black co-worker, I was fed calamari and eggplant by the Italian side and roast pork and strawberry satin pie by the French/Dutch/Scotch what-have-you other side of my family.
The German deli had the best sandwiches. The Polish had the best pirogues. We practiced Judaism and Christianity and paganism and atheism and nobody felt in the least bit put out that their neighbors didn't completely agree with them about which god was the "true" god.
Fast forward to last year or so when angry people in the SW were screaming at busloads full of babies seeking refuge from war-ravaged hellholes south of us. In the town where I grew up, the mayor took one look at those raging assholes screaming at babies and said:
"President Obama, our town will shelter and feed and care for those babies. Our town will stand up and give those babies a cup of water." I was never more proud of my home town.
Fast forward to living in Tennessee today. I was not aware that I lived in a state so full of delicate snowflakes. I had no idea Tennessee had so many grownup counselors who can't handle differences of faith, opinion or "principles."
The poor, poor dears! How they must suffer! The concept of respecting others was taught to me as a child. My grade school companions had no problem "tolerating" and getting along with each other despite our ethnic and religious differences.
Yet the adults of Tennessee must have their hands held as they shiver in fear over "other beliefs." They huddle in groups, petrified of a different kind of prayer, skin color, sexual orientation.
The terrified and oppressed grownup counselors of Tennessee must be protected from having to be professional, ethical, responsible and civic-minded individuals if they don't like what you think, wear, sing or pray.
The way I was raised, the law set for Haslam's signature in Tennessee---this latest "Let's-manipulate-the-Jesus-Overdosed-to-vote-for-us-cuz-we-tuk-away-sum-rights" vomitus our legislature regularly spews, this bill that allows professional counselors to act like toddlers---this law is no more than a SIN and a violation of our US Constitution.
But the legislature will violate the Bible and the Constitution seven days a week for a vote. And because they believe that the timid, frightened grownups of Tennessee must be sheltered from the reality that people are not all the same.
Hopefully Haslam will shun this bill, or his state is going to be shunned into economic disaster. The free market that Republicans love so much? It works BOTH ways.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I'm off to find me a recipe for strawberry satin pie!
or more like pirogies?
the spellcheck didn't catch it so I thought my non-Pole ass was in the clear.
They were so delish, tho. (The pirogies, not the boats) 
one of my all-time favorites.
Thank you, thank you, thank you,l Tsiyu.
to you!
I loaned my favorite SM-58 to one of the boys' music studios, so I'll drop a banana instead.
I wish more people would understand this.
Reach out, help one another. That's the way I want to live.
Republicans want us to hate one another and deny one another rights, while they claim to follow the Prince of Peace.
Pirogues are canoes used to navigate the bayous. The tasty Polish dumplings are pierogies. 
Darn spellchecker doesn't know the difference between a tasty dumpling and a canoe! Yeah, that's it! I'm leaving the original spelling just because lol.
*See above
Beautiful post. And I, too, will be looking for a strawberry satin pie recipe
Eat pie!
You are loved and appreciated, Liberal Jesus Freak
we learned the same thing and came to the same conclusion.
I applaud the teaching of those that raised you, I also envy a bit that you had them, as it would have made my journey to the same place far easier with less painful lessons.
I too grew up in a diverse neighborhood (if a poor one) and made many friends that helped me survive, among them were those of differing ethnicity, religions, sexuality; a rainbow of colors, traditions, beliefs and identities. Perhaps that is the key shared factor that binds our beliefs, making them so in tune. I am multiracial, so perhaps that affects my perception a bit, hard to say as I am so mixed, it is hard to identify me, or me to even identify myself as any one thing.
Carry on the tradition, and thank you for your contribution to what I consider one of the few OPs of late that shows the true nature we should all be striving for.
There is only one race among humans, all other factors are trivial and should not be a point of division, but a celebration of varieties of human existence.
Unity is the key, to happiness, love, and yes, even the survival of our species due to current ecological realities.
I feel that if we were ever to meet we would be good friends. 
We would be friends, no doubt.
My family has a lot of flaws, believe me, but bigotry is not one of them. Every variety of person was welcomed to our family gatherings, and I am grateful I was not taught to fear or discriminate against people for their ethnicity, nationality, orientation or religion.
The uber-wealthy love when we hate each other. Then we won't notice how we're all being screwed: Black, white, catholic, protestant, muslim and atheist , straight or gay, skinny or plump, all are being exploited, and we all need each other to fight back.
Thanks, Dragonfli, for your sentiment and to all who recc'ed and/or kicked my post.
Skittles Seal of Approval
Hope you are well, Woman.
I'm doing alright!
