Hillarysworld

If you talk about US history, you are encouraging domestic terrorism, are a racist, and a homophobe: US citizens afraid of USA history?
by: Puma for Life

The other day the host of “Take a Stand”, a local talk show here in Western NC, spent three hours talking about the year 1774 in US history.  The host, Matt Mittan, and Dr. William Forstchen, a history professor at Montreat College and author of “One Second After”, spent three hours discussing the goings on in 1774 and how that compared to what is going on in the US today.
It was in September of 1774 that the first Continental Congress was held; this was the first coming together of the  individual colonies into the beginnings of a unified whole.
"The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia's Carpenters Hall on September 5, 1774. The idea of such a meeting was advanced a year earlier by Benjamin Franklin, but failed to gain much support until after the Port of Boston was closed in response to the Boston Tea Party.
Twelve of the 13 colonies sent delegates. Georgia decided against roiling the waters; they were facing attacks from the restive Creek on their borders and desperately needed the support of regular British soldiers.
The Congress, which continued in session until late October, did not advocate independence; it sought rather to right the wrongs that had been inflicted on the colonies and hoped that a unified voice would gain them a hearing in London."
Mittan thought the show might be boring to most people. Well, he sure got a shock when he started reading his email immediately after the broadcast.
Someone named John thought he was encouraging domestic terrorism.  Sarah thought he should be fired because he was encouraging those “teabaggers” to do things like fly planes into buildings and another listener equated his discussion on the year 1774 with being a racist and homophobe.
Wow! There are people living here who are afraid of the history of their own country.  Worse than afraid; they consider it seditious to talk about it.
This explains why the NC Department of Education wants to consider a proposal to change the history curriculum in NC public schools. The proposed change is to start teaching US history after the civil war.  I guess our kids don’t need to know about our forefathers and the American Revolution; that might be too scary for them and give them wild-eyed ideas that could lead them to become domestic terrorists, racists, and homophobes.
There is something about citizens speaking up for themselves and taking responsibility for their own lives that upsets progressives in this country.  They want and need absolute control over everything including their neighbors’ lives.
It doesn’t help that they get all of their news from MSNBC where they are told that anyone who does not agree with them is dangerous. They are afraid of their fellow citizens because the media and even some politicians (read Nancy Pelosi) are telling them that tea party participants are racists, terrorists, and potentially violent (and they must be homophobic also; fits the image).
Mittan is an Independent who tends to Libertarian beliefs.  He supports the state sovereignty movement and the tea party participants.  But, he is not someone who fits into a cookie-cutter mold.
Recently, he spoke out in favor of the City of Asheville giving health insurance benefits to gay couples.  I think this led to more progressives listening to his program; they didn’t know that he’s a strong constitutionalist and patriot. When they tuned in to his program last Thursday, they had their preconceived notions blown out of the water. Their brains had a meltdown so they responded with threats, name-calling, and hate mail.  Apparently, that is the progressive way these days.

http://helpmejoseph.typepad.com/puma_for_life/2010/02/if-

Seems that to some progressives being patriotic is a bad thing.  What we see time and time again from both the extreme left and the extreme right is a warped, out of touch perspective.  Balance is needed to ensure that people don't lose sight of the big picture.  Moderation is key in most things.  This isn't to encourage blind acceptance of everything in and about America as positive or good.  Anyone with an ounce of sense knows there are problems.  America's record with Native Americans, African Americans, and women is well known, and the wrong doing with regard to these groups should not and cannot be diminished.  But, having loyalty to one's country and an interest in its history does not imply approval of each and every act taken by that country.  The ultra-lefties who feel that it's best to express hate and shame of America are as bad as the ultra-right "love it or leave it", "boot up your ass" crowd.