Oh treacherous and wretched man,
thou spitteth forth words for all to see
mingling truth and passion with deceit!

Under the light of day, thou doth labor by my side.
Yet as evening settleth; thy vitriol enflames.

For thy design is darkness. Yea, bitterness is
churned from the withered root of thy heart's desire.

Thou sayest, "Thou loveth freedom!"; yet in thine evening
hours, thou seeketh the destruction of thy neighbor!

Thy words pierceth the soul with mortal wounds and
endangereth the peace of a nation; whilst thou
cutteth the tongue of the dissident!

In thine anger, thou exerciseth thy
bellows to fan the flames of war;
beckoning to those of blighted heart.

Enraged against thy countrymen, thou shalt not cease
until thou hast struck down all with whom thou disagrees.

------------------

The rest of this story ...

I read, yet rarely comment on the political blog sites. Whether it is CNN, MSNBC, FOX or any of the others; I always leave anguished. The commentary on the "left" AND the "right" of the political spectrum are one sided, dark and destructive.

There is such hatred being spued. With one side trying to outdo the other in their attempts to "dehumanize" the opposition. The long and sad history of warfare, almost always starts when those with differing views and opinions are dehumanized. It becomes easier to "kill the enemy" when you see them somehow less than you.

I find it amazing that so many of us from across the political spectrum can go into the workplace or pursue causes to which we have a common interest and work together to solve so many issues. Yet, when it comes to politics; the motive is clear -- divide, minimize and conquer!

For those that blog on a daily basis, it appears that unless a person with a differing view of the world completely goes away, they will not be at peace!

This poem is dedicated to ALL bloggers. Remember: The richness of the human experience exists because we live in a diverse world with diverse opinions and that true freedom can only exist when ALL (Left, Right, Independent, Religious, Non-Religous, etc.) have a seat at the table AND all views are valued and respected. Not that we always get our way -- Lord knows I haven't -- but, that we are respectfully listened to.

Empathy - The ability to stand in another's shoes and see life through their experience is a virtue we would all do well to seek and obtain.

btw - I am a political moderate. To the left on some issues. To the right on others. Since I take stands on those things that I believe, I rarely find myself in the middle. With that said, my FRIENDS are from across the spectrum. I love and respect them and their opinions! I know - TMI!