One of the biggest threats I see is extremeism on both sides. The far right has their extremeism and the far left has their extremeism. People in the middle who can see that on both sides of the political spectrum offten get attacked by both sides. My grandfather always told my mom that to try and stay in the middle and not become extreme on any side, but today more and more people are chosing their side and becoming extreme in their views.

The extremeism on the far left is anyone who has old fashion values or a strong Catholic/Christian faith who believe the sacrament of marriage is between a man and a woman only, or who believe illegal immagration is wrong because it breaks the law, or is against abortion is considered an evil racist. The word racist I think looses its meanings when you have people like Lou Dobbs called a racist because he is against illegal immagration and wants to secure our borders. So for anyone who doesn’t accept and parrot the polictally correct mantra on the far left is a racist if they don’t agree 100% with the far left.

On the far right you have extremes from people who admire Hitler as their hero, who hate the jews and other non whites, and want to bring back the thrid reich. You also have good people who see many of the problems that illegal immagration has brought to this country. The double standards.

Just the other day my mother was telling me that they have a woman’s group where we live called the women of color group. My mother made the comment if we had a group called women of Irish decent we would be called evil racist. Many people feels that every ethnic group should be able to celerbrate their own heritiage. If it is wrong for White Celtic woman to have their own group than it should be wrong for Black women who are proud of their achievements to have their own group.

When you have allowed the word racist to be used to describe people who are not racist, but just middle of the road people with old fashion values you many times push those people into the camp you have labeled them to. Like a parent you keep telling your kids they are stupid or bad, after awhile they will believe it.

What happen to the days when people could make up their own mind on the issues. They could fight for what they believe in and once the work day is over be able to put the differences behind them and be personal friends. I remember the stories of Tip O’Neil and Ronald Reagan who were just two Irishman drinking a few beer and sharing stories after fighting each other all day. What happen to all people being able to come together and put their heads together to work on solving the problems that this country is facing. Now everything is so mean spirited of each side hating the other side so much that they would never admit that the other side had a good idea that could actually make a difference for good and could solve the problems.

We seem to just want to label people.

I say let every voice be heard. Let the American people make up their own minds. I would love to see the fair doctrine standard be applied. To often you hear just the far right on talk radio without hearing the other side. On the tv or newspapers many times you hear the far left and anyone who doesn’t agree 100% is labeled a nazi from the far left crowd and or a red commie from the far right crowd.

I think that their needs to be more love and compassion and trying to understand what the other person is saying and not be so quick to label people either evil racist or red commie.

There seems to be a fear in this country of allowing the truth to be told by all Americans and letting people make up their own minds.

Many things are changing this last year in the club. Many new people (Right Wingers) have been brought in and sponsored by right wing journalists who are also members.

In my opinion it is wrong for the Press Club to allow hate groups to use the club to launch an “agenda of hate.”

But perhaps from all the discussion concerning immigration the country will resolve this issue before it dissolves the country.

I firmly believe every person has a right to free speech and have been jailed and beaten several times for practicing journalism in the First Degree and defending the First Amendment – Never been convicted of any crime – but have many scars in my soul from what I’ve been made to endure to report what my eyes see.

I have always found that when we seek truth in any forum people discover it and just like evil – if you make it reveal itself then when men and women of good conscience arise in search of that truth – all things are made equal and whole once again..So let the bigots have their say and let the people understand how they seek to destroy our union.
John Caylor
editor@insider-magazine.com
850-238-0740