My grandfather advised me not to discuss religion or politics; we’ve all heard that before. I seldom heard a conversation related to religion growing up, but I heard many about politics. The discussion contained conflicting ideas, and seldom became heated; loud, yes, but not angry. Today, families have separated because of politics. Anger has replaced discussion. Extremism has replaced tolerance. How did this happen; and who is to blame for this unacceptable situation?

Our nation was founded upon principles and ideas. Our founding fathers did not agree about everything in the Constitution; in fact, a tremendous amount of disagreement dominated the Constitutional Convention in 1789. Eventually they found compromise, and the Law of the Land was signed.

From 1861 until 1865, our relatively new nation was embattled in a war which divided the country more severely than our founding fathers might ever have imagined. The war ended, but much of the division and anger remains to this day.

In 2000 the American people made a huge mistake. They elected a man and his running mate who would prove the be the most destructive and dangerous duo in our nation since the Civil War. A failure to address concerns of our intelligence services allowed the largest attack on our nation from an enemy beyond our borders in the nation’s history. Three years later, the Bush Administration invaded a sovereign nation. They convinced Congress and the American people that it was partially responsible for the horrendous attacks on 9/11. It was all a blatant lie.

The United States suffered a division not experienced since the Civil War. Politicians recognized an opportunity to use fear and anger to manipulate voters and win elections. They no longer felt the need to campaign on issues; emotion was a far more effective tool. This practice continues today by the entire Republican Party.

Politicians are not entirely to blame for the situation today. The intentional division of our nation’s people was aided by FOX Noise, and political pundits. Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham and others used vile rhetoric filled with hatred and anger to obtain recognition and create animosity. The worst of them all is Rush Limbaugh. He has misled the American people for decades with lies and personal attacks against anyone but the most extreme conservatives.

Limbaugh’s pomposity, arrogance, and sanctimony are responsible for an entire group of former Americans who have become white supremacists. He constantly berates blacks and women with vile and fallacious attacks.

Many of his most recent tirades have been focused on the activist group, “Black Lives Matter.” He has called the group many things, including a ‘terrorist organization.’

The American people are aware that most law enforcement officers have good intentions. The few that violate the human rights of black men and women have given all police officers a bad name. Far too often the punishment does not fit the crime. There exists a tremendous need for judicial reform in our nation, and ‘Black Lives Matter’ is just one of the organizations focusing on that fact.

Limbaugh’s latest attack on ‘Black Lives Matter’ is the most ridiculous yet. He is defending law enforcement in cities where the Department of Justice has discovered that blacks were treated more severely than whites. These include Cleveland and Baltimore. He denies that racial prejudice had any part in the unpunished crimes by law enforcement in those cities.

Limbaugh continued his evil rhetoric on his sad radio broadcast by attacking NFL players for actions prior to games in support of “Black Lives Matter.’ Several players ran onto the field with their hands in the air, chanting “hands up, don’t shoot.”

This divides our nation. This is a cause all Americans would support if those who call themselves journalists would speak the truth instead of inciting fear, anger, hatred, and violence.

Limbaugh is anti-American. He hates the United States; at least the way it is today. He would love to return to the past when he and other fat, old, cigar smoking white men ruled the land.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

Source

Photo Courtesy of DonkeyHotey

Follow me on Twitter: @jamesturnagenov

Read my novels on the free Amazon Kindle app