If you haven’t heard, there has been a shooting and fires targeting religious sanctuaries. Crimes that were surely perpetuated for no reason other than raw hatred’s need to spread fear and terror through a people. These crimes were an attempt to send the evil message, “God doesn’t want you to exist.” To me, the message spread was loud and clear, and though it wasn’t myself, or my holy places that were targeted, it was my people.
These were acts of terror against American citizens.
I have to admit, I feel guilty. When I first learned about the Wisconsin Sikh Temple Shooting, I was mellow. Yes, I was sad for the people that had been hurt and killed in the tragedy, but it hadn’t sparked anything in my mind to tell me it was more than just that, an isolated tragedy caused by a crazy man, not worth dwelling beyond the little comfort that perhaps my thoughts would give the victims.
Then, there was a second attack, and this one was basically in my back yard.
That infuriates me.
Missourians don’t do that.
Don’t get me wrong, we’re a violent, superstitious people, completely unbending and incapable of accepting things we don’t like, but, we’re not cowards.
Arson is the act of a coward. It’s terrorism.
I feel that the next few months are going to focus a lot on these sort of things.
There is a big election coming, and the United States is a nation about to be divided along a simple, clearly defined line.
We’re about to be split by hate and greed.
I have found it ironic for a while now that people so afraid of Terrorists enforcing Sharia Law would be so adamant to enforce their own religious laws here in the United States.
I guess it wasn’t irony. I guess religious zealots only come in one flavor, regardless of their packaging.
Maybe when you go to the polls to vote this autumn, you’ll remember that thought. You’ll remember that some of these candidates across the country are exactly what you’re afraid is coming from the Middle East. Don’t let the fact that they might claim the same religion as your own lead you to believe that being spiritual means that the fear, hatred, intolerance, bigotry, greed and oppression they represent is anything close righteous.
Terror is Terror. Oppressive Religious Laws are Oppressive Religious Laws.
No matter what else might be wrong with us, we’re America, and we don’t stand for that.