The Real Terrorist Threat | Eastern North Carolina Now

    This most interesting article cites what is really the problem of hate in the US---not immigrants of Muslim background, but home grown hate addicts! The article makes some succinct observations:

    "The New York Times reported back in June that since Sept. 11, 2001, almost twice as many people have died at the hands of white supremacists and other non-Muslim extremists than by radical Muslims. Using data compiled by New America, a Washington Research center, a study found that 48 people have been killed by extremists who are not Muslim-including the mass killings in Charleston, S.C.-compared to the 26 by self-proclaimed jihadists. However, this does not factor in yesterday's tragic shooting or less publicized incidents like the Las Vegas couple who murdered two police officers and left a Swastika on one of the bodies.

    These stats reveal a vast difference between public perception and the number of actual cases in which Muslim extremists have claimed American lives. So why aren't more people outraged about domestic terrorists? Because then we'd have to admit that white supremacy is still a problem."

    Since my childhood, the horror of trying to feel superior by putting down anyone else has been pointed out to me as a travesty of society everywhere. It seems to be a part of conservatism to have a feeling of inferiority requiring you put others down who differ with you. We see it in gerrymandering and judicial appointments. If you win, then secure it by rewriting history to show YOU WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG.

    Some years ago a book appeared with a gross title: "If There Weren't Any N-WORDs, We Would Have to Invent Some." As blunt and politically incorrect as it sounds, it is a true statement about human nature. Our egos make us want to have someone to look down upon. The more ignorance there is, the easier it is to be arrogant and abusive to others. What kind of "ignorance" am I citing?

          •  Poor religion making the Pharisees always right and in control, no matter what

          •  Social attitudes that certain parts of society are better than others at all times

          •  Living on the right side of the tracks in any town

          •  A social outlook which has never been examined

    I attended a college which led to insightful thinking and self-examination. The student body was composed of people from all sides of the tracks of life. One of their goals was to form an integrated society of students challenged to their max by courses and demanding professors. If you wanted a top grade, you had to develop an ability to see all sides of any issues and then, with good reason, state what was your side and why. I had been a good old southern boy who attended church each Sunday. I came away realizing that there were more kinds of faith and church than Baptist. Many of my presuppositions got challenged and I had to rethink some basic stuff about life in the South.

    We had students from around the world. Their descriptions of their cultures let me see that civility can happen all over the world. We were challenged in history to see the what and why of past events. I never liked history much as a subject with all the names and dates to memorize. When you had to look at human dynamics of how things came to be in the past, it was to hopefully avoid the same mistakes twice.

    My freshman year the most tragic event of modern times took place. President Kennedy was killed with a bullet in Dallas / we engaged seriously in Vietnam / the reasons behind it all were serious topics of discussion in our classrooms at Emory. A deeper look led many to be appalled at the attitude of hate in the US. "The Ugly American" was on the book shelves. If we were honest we saw our Imperialism as a plotting and planning way to take advantage of other nations on this earth who could not economically nor militarily defend themselves from us.

    In a large metro area teaming with 5 million people like Atlanta, you could find all sorts of cultures and thinking people just yearning to be free. Black / White issues were real in the hometown of Martin Luther King, Jr. Our Baptist Student Union was involved in tutoring disadvantaged kids from the hoods of Decatur where Emory is located. The arrogance of fraternity life along with the drinking and partying was a pretty clear picture of "advantaged college elites showing off."

    I was working my way through and those so wealthy as to just party down and live in the dorms of privilege knew nothing of being a Trim Carpenter each weekend and during the summer. That was OK because I had a trade to always fall back on and I could do my own repairs instead of spending much hiring others. "Do-it-yourself" was my middle name! There is a certain value in being self-sufficient. Those seeking only a plush life never know how to survive with simple living.

    My parents both came off the farm during the Great Depression. My father had an iron will to get an education to the point he hitch hiked from Athens to Macon for a Mercer education. He instilled in me the value of learning and never forgetting your roots. His example in fair play to all became a valuable part of my outlook on life. In our little town there were no big social clubs or societies to join and enjoy. We were all working class citizens going to a job each day. He saw his church as a group of Baptists who did nothing without a good discussion at the monthly business meeting. His motto was "we do it together or we don't do it at all."

    We saw the tragedy of a few wanting to run the show for the trusting many. It was an awful preacher firing with my dad refusing to kiss up to the powers that be. It involved immoral behavior and using church position for social and political gain. He could have kept quiet and stayed. He chose to seek a higher road and paid the price for such. He made sure the church's used quarterlies and Vacation Bible School materials got to a black church which could not afford such. His ministry then became the first Chaplain to the Fulton County Juvenile Court. There he met the down and out of Atlanta and was working with some 120 churches of the area to encourage them to reach out to families in trouble as mentors and friends.

    The easiest way to not have trouble is to not care about those who are citizens but have no opportunity and future. Part of the hate which killed Kennedy was integrating the South in all places where earlier leaders feared to tread.

    If we are honest and see clearly the "American Way" it is not as simple as many think who have no ability to analyze hate and prejudice. Some decide to get guns and barricade themselves against change. Like it or not, the world changes and we must adapt to such.

    It is easy to hate and threaten like a barbarian. It is far more challenging to be ladies and gentlemen with a gentle outlook and caring for all.

    I opt for a kinder and gentler society. I try to stand up for "liberty and justice for all." When we lose our moral way in America, we cannot be the shining light on a hill Reagan called us to be.

    The result of the Trickle Down Tax Code is seriously putting off the tax burden on working people. It all came crashing down with the Great Recession. Terrorism takes many forms. If we see only foreigners and strange religious people as the source of trouble, we are easily deceived into being arrogant and unchanging in 2015.

    During my college years Pogo was a great comic strip. It featured a quest to "find the enemy." Pogo went all around and reached a fascinating conclusion: "WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY---AND IT IS US!!!"