A liberal friend of my home station called in and said, “The Republican party is evil, and must be destroyed.” To clarify, he’s not a close friend, but I have friends all across the political spectrum and felt it necessary to address. What I find fascinating is that this mindset is quite common on the left. I know lots of people on the right who want to defeat, politically, the actions and legislation of Democrats each election, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard it said that they must be "destroyed." The Conservatives that I talk to regularly know that a system with checks and balances is imperative. It was put in place by the founding fathers for a reason.

The man currently in office has his pen and his phone. He does everything he can to sidestep the Constitution. I believe that the liberal mindset (like his) is permeating our culture. It divides people on everything from very serious subjects like abortion and religion to silly things like “political correctness.” When I was young, if someone called another person a name like “retard,” or “pansy,” or whatever, you blew it off. We had thicker skins back then. Sure, I got picked on as a kid. I was in musicals, so kids would say I was gay. Big deal. One girl called me gay, and I said, “Come over here and give me a kiss, I’ll show you how not-gay I am.” Now-a-days, if someone says the wrong word, it’s time for litigation. Granted, it was a little creepy, looking back.

All of that, though, isn’t my main point. The thing that bothers me the most is that this friend/caller says Republicans are "evil." Some are incompetent, for sure…George W, Michigan governor Rick Snyder, John McCain, but typically, the Conservatives I know are anything but evil. I know a lovely woman who is homeschooling the brightest, most charming kids I’ve ever met. I know a young man who has a painting of the founding fathers on his office wall, right next to a painting of Jesus, and on the other wall, he has a magnificent photograph of a World War II bomber. He’s patriotic, he has faith, and he respects the Constitution. I don’t see that as evil…even if I am an agnostic, and don’t fully understand religion. The Conservatives I know donate to charities, they have calm discussions, and when they gather in public, they clean up after themselves. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

I know many very good people who are liberals too…however, liberals do have a very different outlook as to what is right and wrong. Even as an agnostic, I can’t stomach the thought of having my own child killed. I heard the beating heart of my unborn youngest son thanks to the marvel of modern science/machinery. Though I'm still waiting on a Doctor Who time machine.

I saw him taking shape inside of my wife. I can’t wrap my head around the kind of hate one must have to have in their heart to think it is okay to kill someone so helpless, so small, and so fragile. That’s a life.

My father is a Conservative, and I consider him a great man. He has shared stories about WWII pilots and heroes from The Tuskegee Airmen, to Paul Tibbetts and the Enola Gay to one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II, Audie Murphy. My dad told me to respect the military. He took me to air shows and airplane museums. He took me to see the USS The Sullivans museum ship and told me about the brothers themselves.

He made me understand the sacrifices Americans have made to protect freedom and liberty…not just at home, but around the world. Yes, we’ve had to use force, to defeat evil like Hitler, Hirohito, and many of history's great evils, but in the grand scheme of things, more lives were saved than lost. There will always be casualties in war, but we must stand up for what is right. So many on the left believe the key to peace is to disarm. They have this same mindset when they talk of individual gun rights. They believe gun violence will decrease if you take guns away from law-abiding citizens. They believe peace will come when America downsizes its military. What they seem to forget is that the other side isn’t giving up their weapons. Outlawing guns leaves them only in the hands of lawbreakers.

I asked this friend/caller “What specifically do you see as evil?” I’d love to know, but have not yet heard back. Conservatism, to me, has only a few flaws. It doesn’t accept that gay people should have every right afforded straight people, and it takes scripture a little too seriously. Liberalism, on the other hand, is flawed on many levels. Abortion being a huge issue, the cycle of welfare is another that bothers me, blatant disregard for the Constitution, disrespect for the men and women of the US military, ongoing so-called Affirmative Action etc.

For the life of me, I can’t comprehend how affirmative action in 2014 does anyone any good. Yes, 25, maybe 30 years ago it was imperative…but in this day and age, I believe it dilutes the quality of the student body, and the workforce. If I were a minority student trying to get into a college, and someone said, “We’re going to give you bonus points based on your skin color.” I’d ask them, “Don’t you think I’m capable of passing your admissions test without help?” Self-reliance is kind of a big deal for Conservatives, but Liberals see it as being mean, or even “evil.”

As for welfare, it feeds the cycle of poverty. Benjamin Franklin said, “We should make the poor uncomfortable and kick them out of poverty." It may sound harsh, however, Franklin knew if you made poverty more comfortable, a lot of people would just sit back and give up. It’s far better for us to give people something to strive for. The left’s welfare policies trap people in poverty because they have little incentive to get out. Yes, we need to help people. Charity is important…but somehow, people need to be inspired to learn, to work, and to support themselves.

Honor, patriotism, respect for the military, respect for the Constitution, faith, and concern for the weakest citizens among us… doesn't sound like "evil" to me.

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