Originally Posted by redwitch

I've heard the nothing we can do spiel since I was a kid. It's been proven wrong over and over. Maybe I'm naive, but I do believe that every individual who speaks up does make a difference.

Some changes take time. People thought slavery was wrong and that all men should be allowed to vote when America was first created. It took the voices of a few women to give us the right to vote. It took even fewer women to start prohibition. MADD was started by one woman who lost her son to a drunk driver. It became the driving force to make it unacceptable to drink and drive. And so on and on.

Frequently it takes one voice to be heard and then have others repeat the words heard. If enough voices take up the cry, those voices will ultimately be heard. It is up to us as individuals to choose which words we want to hear and which we want to repeat. Maybe it is time to for everyone to speak up -- not shout, not scream, but speak.

As I said, if I hear a politician making a slur, I let them know this is not the campaign I want. If enough others said stand on your issues, it might make a change. Right now, too many are willing to listen to the slurs and, worse yet, repeat them. That is why I started this thread. Here, maybe, it has made a difference. One can only hope. At least we know that the majority agree that the slurs are unnecessary and not wanted.

Do think that one person if people listen to him or her can really make a difference. Some of our famous US writers-- Thoreau, Melville, Twain, Emerson, Hemingway, Capote, Lee, Mailer -- have made a huge difference with their words even though they often had a lot of difficulty getting their message out. Elie Wiesel comes to mind right away for me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elie_Wiesel

But, I certainly do not think Mr. Wiesel should be polite in the rhetoric he uses to explain his own life experiences.

On the other extreme, Ann Coulter has made a difference with her writings and I rarely agree with anything she says, but she should have the right to be as obnoxious, arrogant, mean-spirited, and just plain stupid IMHO in her remarks as she can be.

Tal:

I agree with everything you said. And pull-eeeeeease don't get me started on Ann Coulter. She's is one of the most disgusting human beings that just take up space on our planet. I'm just happy that people are starting to boycott her books and many, many networks won't even have her on. :bigthumbsup:

When all gets said and done, it is the elected officials who by the way are in office to REPRESENT the needs of the people. They are...like the Congress...Senate at Federal and State levels who pas or not on judges and others charged with our democracy. I still maintain....like the NRA....AARP...most Corporate entities....are listened to because of their numbers.....of people and $$$$$$.....by the way if they were all added together they would still not come close to the silent majority in number.

I am proud to be not in the silent majority. I raise hell at the State, Federal and Presidential level as an individual....as an AARP member....as and NRA member and many corporate entities. Yes we do get results, but they are usually relative to that specific organizations agenda. What the lawmakers count on to do as they damn well please is .....THE SILENT MAJORITY!!!

By the way I have been preaching this for at least 50 years that I can remember.....to no avail. Everybody is too busy living the good life and can't be bothered. I wonder what event it is that will wake folks up? I fear it will be too late then.

In the mean time....stand up for what you believe regardless who the PC ers may be!!!!!!!!!

BTK

BTK: