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A week or two ago I wrote about my son who, as a small boy, told me that he had become fast friends with another little boy because they "were the only two kids in the school who were the same color." The point of my story was to underscore Frenchiecat's point that children who are not taught bigotry quite often experience an eye opening loss of innocence when they meet up with those who have in the world out side their homes. I also related how this little friend's parents and I went to the school to address the presence of bigotry on the playground in a school which had diversity education in place.
Today, I learned that the father of my son's friend died very suddenly. He had chronic preexisting conditions which prevented him from being eligible for health and life insurance coverage. He was my age--mid-fifties. His wife now has a huge hospital bill and a funeral to pay for and a fledgling business to try to hold together. She is crushed in her grief for the loss of this spouse of 35 years. Nearly broke, she is concerned she will have to sell their home--a heritage farm built by her great-great grandfather in the 1800s. I spent a couple of hours on the phone with her today.
And then I came to this board. I found people still focused on sowing discord and splitting hairs. I simply don't understand what is to be gained by this. What are the goals of this party? Do we know? Are we moving to support a platform or a vision for the future of this nation? What do we want for our sons and daughters, our mothers and fathers, ourselves? Has the pursuit of power become the end and not the means to achieve the end?
I implore you all to step back and look not just your lives but the lives of all in your community and the nation. We need badly to build something constructive. Where is your allegiance?
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