DIALOGUE IS A TWO-WAY STREET

I understand that the ability to actually listen to what someone else is saying is a very rare and precious commodity in this world of ours, for reasons that occasionally escape me. That being said, we all need to work on rediscovering this important skill set if we are to make a difference in our nation in the coming days, weeks and years. The threat is real and only by recognizing it fully, in all its various permutations, can we defeat it.

First, let's dispose of one myth. Our new president is not even the slightest bit interested in dialogue with the right side of the spectrum. His response is "I won!" which is about as infantile a statement as I have ever heard.

President Barack Obama is (and to his credit(?) he has stated this clearly) not the slightest bit interested in what the "great unwashed" believe or think. This is stupidity on his part, but hey, it's his choice! Any man who would sign an executive order allowing embryonic stem cell research on one day and two days later sign a bill passed by Congress that forbids the practice, isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. In fact, a butter knife would probably be sharper!

If you disagree with a person on the left, the general response is hysteria, followed by name calling and vituperation. This, children, is NOT dialogue. Dialogue is when I state an opinion and you give the [calm and rational] reasons why you don't agree with my opinion. Then you state your opinion and I respond. This is the way adults communicate.

There are definitely things we need to talk about. We need to discuss economic stimulus that doesn't involve the redistribution of wealth. We need to talk about the current economic problems which are not, I suspect, related to anything other than the manipulations of George Soros with the sycophantic connivance of the mainstream media who would do anything to get Barack Hussein Obama elected to the presidency, even if it meant risking their own nation and their own well being. And oh yes, Princess Botox and her pal Senator Cadaver helped a lot by insisting that banks make mortgage loans to people who had little hope of repaying those loans. And yes, to some extent, George W. Bush was complicit in the overspending, but at least he had a better reason. He was attempting to secure our borders for the safety of all of us - even those who hammered him daily with false and despicable calumny!

What needs to be discussed is the moral center of our nation and how it applies to our day-to-day political life. Are we a nation of whining wimps or are we a strong and vibrant nation that can survive enormous challenges, an area where we have frequently proven our worth? Are we going to sacrifice our valued independence of thought and expression (it's called the First Amendment) on the altar of political correctness? Are we going to display tolerance toward an entire Islamofascist movement that has every intention of destroying us or, are we going to stand up for ourselves and tell them to stick it up their burnoose if we somehow offend their oh-so-delicate sensibilities? Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn if Abdul is upset if Abdul is part of a religion that advocate MY destruction!

America is not perfect, but America IS worth fighting for and I think we've all become so engrossed in our own "stuff" that we aren't paying attention to the big picture. Starting now, that time should be over for all of us.

In loving memory of Ron Silver, a great artist and a great patriot, we should be thinking as clearly and as acutely as he did.