" Words"

In November of 1969 a young handsome Italian soldier was returning home to O"Hare field after spending some time in the care of Uncle Sam. On the plane this young handsome Italian soldier spent some pleasant hours exchanging stories with some fellow soldiers who had become more than friends over the course of time. There were four of us aboard the flight home, two from Chicago and two from downstate Illinois. When the plane touched down there were never four more excited passengers leaving that plane ever in history. The guys called me "Chicago Joe", as I always compared everything I ate to the food in Chicago, and other food always fell short! We went downstairs to get our duffel bags, I stopped to light a cigarette but didn't have a match. I looked around for another soldier and a civilian stepped in with a lighter and a handshake. Back then a handshake to a soldier was rare. I was really touched and thanked him, he just smiled nodded and looked at my name tag. "You Italian?", he said "Yes", I replied; then he said something that still makes me laugh, "Go get some real food trooper!" he shook my hand and then walked away. Eventually my duffel showed up and I carried it upstairs to the terminal. As I walked across the terminal something else happened I will never forget. One of the "great unwashed" walked up to me, stared me directly in the face and through His bad breath he hissed "BABY KILLER". I don't ever remember being angrier in my life before or since then I was that day. This smelly low life was judging me. At that very moment two Chicago Police Officers were passing and they heard it all. In almost cartoon fashion they each took an arm and lifted "smelly" off the ground, looked at me, and one said " We'll take it from here Pal!". I don't know what happened to the hippie and honestly I don't care.

We throw words at people every day without thinking about their consequences or their power. Some of us are more polite than others in the words they choose, yet even the most eloquent words cut closer than a surgeon's knife. Conservatives and liberals alike have been attacked with a verbal assault of name calling in its worse forms. I am as guilty as anyone else in this practice, and I regret those instances of poor choices of words to describe those whose opinions differ from mine. When we abandon reason and logic in the expression of our points our points lose their validity.

As a conservative I urge all of my fellow conservatives not to resort to name calling and vehement rhetoric when making a point. This practice will only hurt our efforts in trying to restore America to its' ideals and principles. Facts and calm demeanor will always be more powerful than "school yard" taunts in convincing others. When you contact your representatives about the performance of their duties, be businesslike, it will make more of an impression. We carry words around a long time. Believe me I know!