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Dallas and the Battle for the Remains of Humanity
Townhall.com ^ | July 9, 2016 | Liz Harrison

Posted on 07/09/2016 6:06:07 AM PDT by Kaslin

“What's wrong with me? I can't stop feeling like crying.”

“I'm afraid. Isn't there some way to stop all of this?”

“How can there be so much hate?”

Those are just a few of the messages that were waiting for me, and have been spilling into my inbox, IM's, and text messages since the shootings in Dallas last night. Most of them have been from people who come to me for guidance in their personal lives, but a few were from people from the world of politics. Unfortunately, the nature of the ones from the political class were mostly driven by anger – that is from both sides of the aisle. Both sides are just looking for any opening to blame the other. And there lies the real problem.

Caleb Howe at RedState.com at least attempted to point out something that has been missing in all of the political battles we have been participating in, or watching for the past several years. It has been escalating, and as the debates have degenerated into virtual screaming matches (with neither side listening to the other), something important has been dying.

The answers I have been giving to the people asking questions like the ones offered at the beginning here show the truth that isn't sexy enough for headlines. There is nothing wrong with the people who feel like crying – if anything, they are probably the most sane individuals in our society today. They are lucky enough to still have their sense of empathy. The people who are afraid also are better off mentally than the people who are causing their fear. I'm not referring to the criminals causing fear here, either. Most of the people who are saying to me that they are afraid today have been talking more about the vicious partisan wars of words than the shooters. It's not that they aren't afraid of shootings. They are just more afraid of the hatred they see daily from friends, family and social media acquaintances.

That brings me to the last question, and the one that has been the toughest to answer. How can there be so much hate? Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to that, nor is there an easy remedy for it. The sheer volume of hatred out there is a large part of the reason why I have personally backed away from the blood sport of politics. I've had a few people suggest that I couldn't stand the heat, so I got out of the kitchen. It's a quaint adage, but doesn't apply. The truth is that I couldn't stand to look at myself in the mirror if staying meant contributing to the intellectual, moral, and emotional disconnect between “left” and “right.”

Howe is trying to point out that for the sake of political points, people are failing to be human. He's right. People are consuming the images of pain, cruelty, inhumanity, violence, and debasement like some consume pornography. Yes, I am suggesting that there is nearly a sexual appetite for it – lust, if you will. That is the embodiment of the hatred I've been asked about today, and for a very long time now. Why it has become so pervasive is complex, deeply rooted, and bipartisan. I'm mentioning that last word for one reason only, and that is the fact that so much hatred has been solidly fused to our political processes and identity as a nation.

There is no opportunity to point fingers here because everyone is guilty. Even the people who are simply upset with what they are seeing from everyone else bear some of the blame. They haven't spoken up against the hatred, but I do encourage them to do it when I can. I would like to say that I think the hateful people would actually be ashamed if anyone challenged them or simply asked them to stop, but I can't. As I'm writing this, I know some readers will undoubtedly become angry with me, and possibly take to the comments section to suggest that I'm just “soft”or some other less flattering terms that would mean more or less the same thing. I'm a proponent of free speech, so I have nothing to say against that. However, I will say that I reserve the right to say if someone is simply illustrating my point here – hatred has become a primary part of the political tool box.

It's a battle against human nature, since we're theoretically hardwired to hate and fear difference. That doesn't mean that we can't attempt to fight our less palatable instincts, and honestly, we're not fighting them at all at this point. We're feeding them. It's easy to show compassion for people who share your beliefs. The same goes for defending the rights of others. I regularly catch myself thinking less-than-charitable thoughts about many people I disagree with, and have tried to restrict myself to speaking out only on ones in the public sphere. Even that is becoming limited for me, though. It is better to deal in ideas, than in personal attacks.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated how he sees this problem in an open letter to Texans that was published in the Dallas Morning News. In part:

“Every life matters. With each innocent life lost, we lose more of our humanity. It is time for us to unite as Texans, as Americans, to say no more. No more will we tolerate disrespect for those who serve. No more will we allow the evil of hate merchants to tear us apart... In the coming days, there will be those who foment distrust and fan the flames of dissension. To come together – that would be the greatest rebuke to those who seek to tear us apart. There is far more that binds us together. We see that great strength in times of tragedy, in times of great need.”

Perhaps the solution to the problem is to show that great strength not only in times of great need, but also every day.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: humanity; texas
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1 posted on 07/09/2016 6:06:07 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

“How can there be so much hate?”

Its easy. The white hating President has been ginning it up for 7.5 years.


2 posted on 07/09/2016 6:09:49 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: Kaslin

Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace.


3 posted on 07/09/2016 6:14:14 AM PDT by ViLaLuz (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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To: Georgia Girl 2
“How can there be so much hate?”

Its easy. The white hating President has been ginning it up for 7.5 years.

This! Obama has given "permission" for antisocial behavior and has been a divider not a uniter. The first black President has been a partisan hack, a bully and a petulant little brat.

4 posted on 07/09/2016 6:16:02 AM PDT by johncatl (...governs least, governs best.)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

Things will only get worse until Obi finally leaves the White Mosque. Saul Alinsky lives on (in Obama’s black heart).


5 posted on 07/09/2016 6:16:09 AM PDT by donozark (FAT PEOPLE ARE HARD TO KIDNAP!)
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To: Kaslin

There is one side of the political spectrum that stands always ready to attack people who disagree rather than stand up to defend their ideas. They want to shut up dissenting speech. This whole equivocating about “both sides are equally guilty” is a bunch of hogwash. It really is okay to stand back as an observer and note that almost all of the racism and division comes from the same political party that screams the loudest about it.


6 posted on 07/09/2016 6:16:55 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

I do not internalize hate in any form, no matter who it comes from. We must love one another.

Of course love does not mean absence from responsibility, or absence from consequences.

Praying sincerely for the families of the brave fallen, the innocent victims of wicked murder.


7 posted on 07/09/2016 6:19:18 AM PDT by YepYep (Build the America you want at your house and keep looking up.)
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To: YepYep

What you need to internalize is the reality that the white hating black Muslim in the Whitehouse has nearly created a race war.


8 posted on 07/09/2016 6:23:24 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: johncatl

Obama has also aligned himself with the popular culture, at times, the worst features of it by inviting it into the White House, acting out and in relationships with the shallowness of lowest common denominator Hollywood. To say that he has debased the Office of President would be an understatement.


9 posted on 07/09/2016 6:24:38 AM PDT by yetidog
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To: Kaslin

There is a time for war. There is a time for peace. I will not “unite” with the Left. Period.


10 posted on 07/09/2016 6:26:30 AM PDT by TTFlyer
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To: Kaslin

“I’m not referring to the criminals causing fear here…”

You should be. Criminals are the root cause.

“How can there be so much hate?”

https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Criminal-Mind-Revised-Updated/dp/140004619X

Wake up, Liz.


11 posted on 07/09/2016 6:27:48 AM PDT by PGalt
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To: johncatl

Thankfully that will all end in a couple of months . I can see why there is so much support for Mr. Trump. People have had enough of the division of the USA.


12 posted on 07/09/2016 6:28:47 AM PDT by Biggirl ("One Lord, one faith, one baptism" - Ephesians 4:5)
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To: johncatl

Thankfully that will all end in a couple of months . I can see why there is so much support for Mr. Trump. People have had enough of the division of the USA.


13 posted on 07/09/2016 6:28:48 AM PDT by Biggirl ("One Lord, one faith, one baptism" - Ephesians 4:5)
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To: donozark

Trump will have to clean up the mess.


14 posted on 07/09/2016 6:31:07 AM PDT by Biggirl ("One Lord, one faith, one baptism" - Ephesians 4:5)
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To: Kaslin

—— How can there be so much hate? ——

quite simple really.

The racist tyrant Obama decreed to his black minions, there must be racial war. The negro political power structure has sent the message that it is now or never to wrest all the possible concessions from the white’s.

the black summer of fire and bullets has come again


15 posted on 07/09/2016 6:31:58 AM PDT by bert ((K.E.; N.P.; GOPc;+12, 73, ....Opabinia can teach us a lot)
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To: TTFlyer

Really. And the lies just continue. Just 12 hours ago we heard the Chief of Police, the Dallas Mayor, and the Governor all assure us the shooter was a lone wolf. This AM we discover he has been New Black Panthers for 6 months. Can we start with stopping the incessant lying? Holding hands and Kumbaya may come but the lying constantly has to stop. No credibility,there can be no integrity. No integrity, no shared ANYTHING and certainly no “love”.


16 posted on 07/09/2016 6:36:39 AM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: Biggirl

If anyone can clean up a you huge mess it’s Trump! Think Big and kick Ass!


17 posted on 07/09/2016 6:37:09 AM PDT by Boardwalk
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To: All
Wow, this is all kinds of messed up.

There are assumptions being tossed around that aren't "fair" or reasonable (my mother always taught me that fair was a place where you ride the merry~go~round).

If we exhibit no emotional reaction to the event we are callous but if we do we're haters? I can have an emotional reaction to the event but I'm not sane unless I lose control of my emotions? Neither side is listening to the cther? Really?

For the record, I have listened to the complaints of blacks who feel that they have been mistreated by cops. Hell, I've been mistreated by cops. But you don't see me rioting and looting and most of all killing. You (editorial "you") are free to express yourself bot not at my expense And yes, I have every right to finger-point. It is entirely reasonable (fair?!) to ask who is responding to every slight, every offense and every misunderstanding with violence and (yes) hate? If saying "You people are acting like children" and shooting someone are synonymous acts then it is you who has their barometer out of whack, not me.

That brings me to the last question, and the one that has been the toughest to answer. How can there be so much hate?

If your only tool is a hammer all problems look like nails. You need to expand your emotional vocabulary. There isn't so much hate. Sure there's division and discord, but not every disagreement is rooted in hatred of one another.

18 posted on 07/09/2016 6:42:42 AM PDT by rockrr (Everything is different now...)
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To: bert

Will be a bad time to visit Philadelphia/Cleveland in the next couple of weeks. Philadelphia is a hotbed of Democrat “activists.” Convention site not all that far from the airport. Who knows what these SOBs have planned!


19 posted on 07/09/2016 6:44:36 AM PDT by donozark (FAT PEOPLE ARE HARD TO KIDNAP!)
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To: Kaslin

How can there be so much hate? Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to that, nor is there an easy remedy for it.
____________________________________________________

Let me try to help out the author, Liz: You need look no further than the fallout from America turning her collective back on God. Virtually every institution has made Jesus persona-non-grata, and even so-called Christian Churches don’t follow/reject the Word of God.

The void this creates allows satan to move right in, resulting in extreme and insatiable capacity for hate, death, and destruction. In short - madness.

Madness doesn’t have any logic, nor does it have a purpose. But it does have a goal. And that goal is death and destruction of anything good the God of Israel have meant for His people. The remedy is Jesus Christ.

Hope that helps clarify thing for you Liz.


20 posted on 07/09/2016 6:45:06 AM PDT by Paulie (America without Christ is like a Chemistry book without the periodic table.)
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