"Who Will You Crucify Today?"

Somebody I know and admire said something that shocked me today. She told me that other people read what I'm writing on this blog. How can that be?!? I told her no, this is just my online journal, something I write for myself. I was joking, of course. She laughed cynically, which made be a bit uneasy. "People mock you for what you write," she said. "I, on the other hand, keep my conversations private." By God, I think she was serious. This set me to thinking. Yes, I write openly. I speak my mind. Some of you don't like the opinions I express. My fellow bloggers of all political persuasions know this first hand. Whether the blogger is a lefty or a righty, we face scorn from some readers for some of what we write. Duh. We know this will happen even before we get into the blogosphere. Those of us with enough spine use our real names. Some, of course, have good reasons to remain anonymous. Self preservation, for example. But I'm close to digressing. I shall get back on course. There is a group of old men who sit around a coffee shop in Rogers Park for good portions of the day. This happens in coffee shops all over America, of course. These old men kvetch and bitch and gossip and bad-mouth people in the cocoon of the coffee shop, secure in the knowledge that nobody will hear them. Much of their discussion centers on politics, however. While I don't consider personal gossip to be fair game under normal circumstances, talk about political figures is always fair game. Most of those old men are cowards. They know that I blog. Some of them read my blog and actually like it. Some don't, and criticize my blog. It is the latter group that I have a problem with. They do not have the courage to state their political views publicly, they bitch that something should be done about the crooked politicians. But they are afraid to say so publicly, and they put down those of us who do. The other day, I was in the coffee shop with my laptop in front of me. One of the old men approached. He claims to be a former communist. Perhaps, I don't really care. He's likeable enough, I suppose, but can be unfathomable at times. He walked up to me, leaned over, and murmured into my ear, "Who will you crucify today?" What a gutless creature. How sad. He does not own a business in Rogers Park. A business owner can be forgiven for watching what they say publicly; say the wrong thing and your local alderman will make your life miserable just out of spite. But for the average person, no excuse. None whatsoever. Zero. What a shame that so many are so afraid to excercise their First Amendment rights. What a shame that so many apparently care so little that they would prefer to let the shepherds tell them where to go and what to do. Poor little sheep. Suppose everybody was as gutless as that old man. Or as afraid as the average person seems to be when it comes to speaking their mind. If everybody felt that way, Barack Obama would not have the courage to speak his mind to millions of people. Martin Luther King would not have a holiday named for him. George Washington would be a forgotten figure in history, noted only, perhaps, in footnotes as a wealthy British subject who served the King well in the American colonies. Thousands of other examples are there for the choosing. Jesus Christ, Ghandi, so many, so many. Pick one, any one. As many of you go to the polls next Tuesday, remember this: None of the candidates you are about to vote for are cowards. They all deserve credit for that. Do you? Bah bah bah.