This month I am going to vent a little. In discussions I have had with members of our chapter, we have on several occasions touched on the need to remain civil and respectful of those we disagree with. It has been said that it is unnecessary and even counterproductive to bash or denigrate individuals, their religion, their politics or their ideas. For the most part I agree with this admonition. Shouting matches rarely accomplish much of anything except chaos and ill feelings.

I have been characterized by my friends as "laid back" or "easy going," and I don't mind those labels at all. Throughout my adult life I have also tried to refrain from hating individuals. Hate, like being disrespectful, is too much wasted emotion and therefore is usually counterproductive.

However, I recently became aware of something that has challenged my ability to stay respectful and to refrain from hating some of the willful idiots out there. It is hard enough to tolerate the garbage being spewed by so-called conservatives (I prefer to call them regressives) in regard to health care reform. But when they victimize my 87-year-old mother, I start to fume.

My mother is a devout Mormon who is one of the few who is also a democrat. On the way home after taking her to her eye doctor appointment recently, she started talking about health care issues and told me she was worried that the changes would effect her ability to receive treatments. She also said she was told that the government would decide if old people should receive life-saving care based on their usefulness; the "death panels" lie.

While observing the flow of misinformation about health care reform out there in the national arena, it is easy to ignore much of the noise and B.S. But when it hit close to home I became outraged. These people spreading lies to my mother are her neighbors and fellow Mormons who are causing her to worry and be fearful. It is difficult for me because I know these people and my respect for them is now at an all time low.

Perhaps part of the problem with those of us who are liberal or progressive is that we are a bit too "laid back" and "easy going." Sometimes it appears we are just watching, while the opposition is out there creating fear and spreading lies. For me it is time to call these people what they are: liars. If some call me intolerant, so be it. I truly have little tolerance for these idiots. They are truly regressive and want to drag us back to the dark ages or perhaps to the Stone Age. Well, I am not going with them.

--Robert Lane
President, HoU