STOP It, Children!

We have to stop the hatred in political discourse in the United States.

Democrats are always saying they hate Republicans. They've even published books about it. Like "The I Hate Republicans Reader: Why the GOP is Totally Wrong About Everything." Now the GOP may be wrong about everything but that's no reason for hatred. That's a reason for two-way discussion. Passionate, sure. Hatred, no.

Then there's "888 Reasons to Hate Republicans: An A to Z Guide to Everything Loathsome About the Party of the Arrogant Rich."

Then there's the song, "I hate Republicans" which is featured on a web site that is a video that ignores the truth about the good things we do like the Ownership Society that made it possible for our son, who is severely retarded and has an income of less than $15,000.00 a year to buy his own home.

I'm a Republican but I'm not rich. I know people who are and the ones I know are faultlessly generous in their giving -- of time as well as money -- to those less fortunate than they.

But I digress. Howard Dean, one of the best the Democratic Party has to offer said, "I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for, but I admire their discipline and their organization." The most quoted part of that statement is the first part.

They even have t-shirts. Do a google hit on "hate Republicans" and you'll get 6,800,000 hits. Six MILLION, eight hundred thousand.

But the Republicans aren't blameless in all this. Google "hate Democrats" and you get 7,840,000 hits. The problem with that number, however, is that it is contaminated by Democrats saying that Republicans hate them. Not Republicans saying they do -- just Democrats. Guilt, I suppose.

The first hit is "Why Americans Hate Democrats -- A Dialogue, The unteachable ignorance of the red states." by Jane Smiley. Her entire article could have been written without hatred, but it wasn't. And it was a liberal's hatred of republicans that is expressed.

Actually, those hits mostly discuss how Democrats hate Republicans. As in this piece by John David Powell, titled "Politics And Hate: The Democrats’ Not-So-Subtle Message" in which he writes, "Those who pull the political strings within the Democratic Party put out the word in the days leading up to their national convention that Bush bashing, divisive rhetoric, and other forms of hate-filled language were not welcomed. The memo read something like: 'Anyone caught violating the tenets of our newly found political compassion toward those we hate will be thrashed wickedly like a colorfully headed child from another marriage (because 'beating you like a rented mule' doesn't sound good given that our party's symbol is a donkey).

"There is wisdom to this kinder, gentler form of politics, but it may be too foreign and too late for a large segment of Democrats who cannot utter the words Bush or Republican without adding the word hate somewhere. While Democratic delegates engaged in their orchestrated love fest on the convention floor, the scene outside was somewhat more hate filled, probably because the memo wasn't passed around among the general population."

Still, there is some expression of hatred toward Democrats. I dropped off a Republican e-mail list because of it. I will not be a part of hatred if I can possibly avoid it, whether it's from a Republican or a Democrat.

Because hatred always has repercussions. Hatred is what assassinated President Kennedy and hatred is behind a threat on President Bush's life that is posted in the comments on this web site. Hatred is what caused 9/11 and is causing genocide in Africa and murder in the Holy Land.

It is all right to disagree and it's fine to disagree with passion -- but not with hatred.

Please, Democrats, Liberals, Republicans, Conservatives, Progressive and Libertarians: Stop hating. Fight and argue but don't hate. Everytime someone expresses hatred we are all diminished. Nothing good can ever come of it.