THE DISGRACEFUL UGLINESS OF NOW

In the heat of the health care debate, our country was disgraced....disgraced by those who attacked African American Congressmen and the President with the "n_____" word; disgraced by those who spat at others; disgraced by those who attacked Barney Frank as a "f.....": disgraced by the self-proclaimed savior of our Country, Rush Limbaugh, who referred to those who supported this bill as "bastards;" and disgraced, even by those among my friends, who referred to the President as a "fraud." This was not debate, chevre, this was poison perpetrated by the haters among us. These were not just "incidents of incivility" -- they are the outgrowth of incitement and hate -- too tolerated for too long by too many.

The health care legislation may at the end of the day be an error but, as through today, we have seen nothing -- not from Eric Cantor or John Boehner or John McCain or their ilk -- in the way of rational alternatives. Nothing. Worse, these "leaders" by their silence have encouraged those whose hate speech could, as President Clinton observed, lead to another McVeigh or worse. And never a condemnation from these leaders. The "loyal opposition" decided long ago that its position as with all things Obama would be unreasoned opposition -- lock-step, unanimous opposition. In our democracy, don't we have a right to expect more -- or is this all there is?

Is this all there is? The incitement, the ugliness, the hate? As one observer has written: "...democracy doesn't matter; ideas are not to be discussed; and opposing views are not be respected...they alone have the truth." He obsessed, as I do, that we are in a moment of dangerous incitement. The "birthers," those who choose to call the President by his middle name, the posters of Obama as a Nazi, the suggestion, made so often, that the President is a Marxist, Hitler reincarnate, an anti-semite, a socialist, etc. -- just incitement, pure and simple and venal.

And there are too many of our People, way too many, who subscribe to this incitement to their shame...and ours.

Rwexler