I’ve Got to Watch My Mouth

So this morning at breakfast, I was reading (marvelous invention, the iPhone 5) about Texas Governor Rick Perry having called YET ANOTHER Special Session to try to deny women their Constitutional Rights (look, I don’t like abortion, and when a young relative came to me for advice on the subject, I DID tell her to go ahead and have the baby and give her to me, that’s how I feel—but it’s a woman’s body and it’s her right to choose, period. Story over, Rick.  And a quick aside: there have been abortions as long as there have been women and men. The only difference is, now they can be performed in a hospital instead of in a back room with a coat hanger.  And let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone…and, with all the newborn babies, how many can we put you down for?  Because they’ve got to be fed and housed…)---a SECOND Special Session at the expense of Texas taxpayers, just to remind them that they are the fiscal conservatives—and I thought, “I just HATE f*cking Rick f*cking Perry.”

And that thought led to this:

We cannot calm the level and tone of discourse in this country as long as we hate.  I have been tweeting to Matt to “f*ck the haters” when somebody hates on him and Russ (they have been hated on, preached to, etc).  Well—I can’t very well tell them to f*ck the haters, and then turn around and be a hater myself, just one wearing a rainbow flag.

I’m going to start correcting myself every time I utter the words, “I hate…”.  “I hate the 104 degree temps in Houston.”  Well, then why do you live here?  “I hate Texas Governor Rick Perry.”  Do you really?  Do you want him dead?  No.  I’d probably go have a beer with him (THAT would be an interesting conversation; we could sell tickets…).

The key, I think, is to be strong and resolute while remaining good and kind.  I’m not going to let anybody run over me.  I will stand up for my rights, for my free speech (which is being trampled, thank you Patriot Act), will oppose oppression and evil, and fight for my rights as an American Citizen, including the right to marry and the right to not be discriminated against on the basis of my sexual orientation.  There is no compromise—we’re either Citizens or we’re not.  Since (1) I was born here (I have a birth certificate from Dallas County, Texas, ‘Murikuh to prove it) and (2) I am a full-grown, tax-paying adult in possession of a Texas Driver’s License, a US Passport, a Harris County Voter ID, and a Social Security card/account, I deduce that I am an American Citizen.  Why, therefore, may I not marry whom I choose?  Why must I be subject to discrimination in the workplace? (I, fortunately, work for a great company which would never do so, in fact, is aggressively the other way, but I have worked for some doozies in the past).  But, I digress.  More posts to come on those subjects.  This one is about eliminating hate.

What I am NOT going to do (starting today) is join the Hate Camp.  Positive but Strong.  Resolute, with a smile and a handshake, ready to explain my viewpoint in a calm, level, reasoned manner, instead of being as shrill as some of the haters.

I would urge you to join me in purging the words, “I hate” from your lexicon.

You can’t hate and say

Love Conquers All