Conservative Corner: Are We Really Tolerant?

With the advancement of political correctness and social justice we seem to have fallen under the ironclad choke-hold of what many people call tolerance and fairness. We as a society have used the word “tolerant” so much it seems to have lost meaning, and possible its true meaning.  

Today we commonly see and hear of intolerance as being racist, homophobic, anti-gender, and anti-class but there are more intolerances that aren’t commonly recognized in a liberal society. Anti-gun, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic and anti-religion (especially anti-Christian), and sometimes anti-free speech are intolerances that you may not see on the cable news or see in liberal publications.

Dictionary.com defines tolerance as a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own. This, however, that is not always the case. It seems as though the “hate card” is only played when conservatives do something unpopular with liberals and progressives.

When a small business or company stands up for their faith against a wall of opposition and feel they cannot betray their faith by making products that is against what they believe in? It would stand to reason that liberals would understand the pain people feel when others try to changing their values or punish them for their views. Chick-Fil-A and Sweet Cakes by Mellissa in Gresham, Oregon have felt the pressure. The gay/lesbian supporter’s boycott of Chick-Fil-A backfired with the Christian community giving support to the fast food restaurant. The Gresham bakery wasn’t so lucky. On August 30^th the bakery closed their doors and forced the owners to work from their homes. To this day they still receive hateful messages on their Face Book page. That doesn’t seem very tolerant or fair to me.

The Tea Party has been the target of such intolerance by those on the “left side of the isle” almost since the conception of the organization. It is no secret that many liberals and progressive Democrats have little, to no respect for the conservative grass roots organization.  The black Democrat representative from California, Maxine Waters, said, “This is a tough game. You can’t be intimidated. You can’t be frightened. And as far as I’m concerned, the ‘tea party’ can go straight to Hell!”, as reported by washingtonpost.com. Again we see another instance of hypocrisy of those who follow the lead of liberals. Again, that appears far from tolerant.

If you see a person walking down the street with a pistol peeping out of the holster under their clothing, what’s the next thing on your mind? Do you scream “OH MY GOD, A GUN!” as you point and immediately call 911 or do you relax and realize that if something happens chances are the person with the pistol will probably help keep you safe until the police arrive. Many liberals and progressives seem to think that taking guns away from everyone is the safest thing to do. Many actually want to completely remove guns from Mr. and Mrs. America. Dianne Feinstein (D.-Calif.) is in favor of this kind of action. All in all at least 9 Democrats strongly favor tighter gun laws or even removing guns from the population of the county according to www.gunandgame.com. Once again, where is the tolerance for the 2^nd Amendment supporter and law-abiding gun owner?

We get constantly bombarded from the mass media and progressive left on the “hatred” from the Tea Party, Republicans, and other like-minded groups. Every time a Republican Congressman votes against a liberal idea, he or she gets labeled in a negative light. However, when a Democrat does something negative against Republicans or conservatives it is either ignored or it is blamed on Republicans and they are accused of wagering a “war” against  certain groups and are again labeled, homophobic, anti-gender, anti-class and others.

 If we could step back and see the bigger picture and look at the world though another’s eyes we would see the intolerances clearly go in both directions. Are you truly a tolerant person? Look at someone with whom you don’t agree with politically and/or socially. Would you consider them a racist, homophobic, anti-gender, and anti-class person? If you do then perhaps you’re not as tolerant as you thought you were.

As I see it, we should not be concentrating on mere tolerance to bridge the gap between our disagreements and differences, but instead we should be looking more toward acceptance.  Try not to just “tolerate” someone but accept them for who they are, even if they are a conservative, Tea Party member who votes Republican.

                              

                               Dkhummel.com, dkhummel.blogspot.com/

Conservative Corner: A Glance in the Mirror

As we go through life, weather it is our education or professional careers, we tend to pause and reflect on thoughts and actions throughout our lives. Since I started this column in mid-January 2013 with a brief description of conservatives, I have myself reflected on what I have written. After all, I do consider myself a representative of the conservative movement, a Tea Party follower, and a Commuter writer. What I have written in the past, even though I possibly should have worded some of them a little differently, I stand firmly by my values as a social and fiscal conservative.

To the new students attending LBCC I say “Welcome”, and don’t be afraid to read your campus newspaper and give us your ideas and comments. They are always welcome. To the veteran readers of the Commuter, I ask for your continued readership, support and response in continuing to improve an already award winning publication. You can help make your campus paper the best.

 To the readers and critics of Conservative Corner: I would like to remind you that Conservative Corner is an opinion column. Dictionary.com defines opinion as a personal view, attitude, or appraisal. Since the name of the column is called Conservative Corner, then it stands to reason that it will be at least somewhat bias toward my views and values as a conservative. If you agree with my columns, I’m glad. If you don’t agree with what I write, that’s ok too. After all, conservatives are very strong supporters of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment is extremely important.

The Freedom of Speech is like a double-edged sword. That’s why even the Westboro Baptist Church can preach their messages, (no matter how hateful they are) without being ruled unconstitutional. We all have the right to say or write what we think and we all need to respect the rights of others to do so even if it is controversial or unpopular.

As the new students come into LBCC, weather they are fresh from high school or middle-age people trying to gain knowledge in a new field of endeavor,  I ask them to hold on to their values and beliefs. Don’t let anyone try to sway you from your fundamental values in the name of progressive higher learning. To the students who have “been around the block” a few times. I strongly suggest keep your eyes on your goals and don’t let anyone tell you that you values are wrong or misguided.  It is very easy to lose sight of your true self when in contact which the wrong influences or influences that do not support your core values.

I have looked in my proverbial “mirror” and realized that I have still have yet to be the writer that I want to be, however, I hold strongly to my values and beliefs and am proud to write about them. I ask you, the reader, to do the same thing. As you look in your own “mirror”, do you feel at piece with your opinions?

Do you follow the values that made you the person you are today? I implore you to uphold your values and standards, no matter what they are and no matter who you are with. But above all, use your time at LBCC to make yourself the best person you can make.