Labels

I've been called a bigot and a racist.

But I have colleagues and friends from different ethnic backgrounds whom I show respect by treating them as though color and religion isn't an issue.  Because it's not.

I've been called a knuckle-dragging, neck-drooling, redneck.

Because I think the federal government should at least attempt to live within its means.  But I hold an International Baccalaureate diploma, finished a 4-year college-degree in 3.5 years, and have spent a grand total of five months out of work in the thirteen years since I finished college.  I walk upright, my neck's usually white, and I lack the orifice on my neck that would produce drool.  If my knuckles were ever scarred, it would probably be from contact with some about-to-be-not-so-smug asshole's face.

I've been called anti-science.  Yet I show a closer allegiance to scientific principles than those who label me.  I had five years of schooling in physics from the time I was a high-school sophomore, and used it in my job off and on over a ten year period.  Rather than denounce someone because they reached a different conclusion off a similar set of observations, I first look introspectively at my own body of work to see if something can explain the different conclusion.  I regard science the same way I regard religion:  the search for truth, not the destination.

I've been called a religious nut.

Yes, I believe in a higher power.  I believe in serving something greater than myself.  Something which I can aspire to, though not ever fully achieve.  I believe I see that higher power in the miracles I see around me, both natural and man-made.  My faith informs my opinions and guides my decisions.  My faith doesn't tell me to treat those who disagree with me with scorn and derision, simply with respect.  As you fail to reciprocate, answer me this:  Just who are you to say that's wrong?

I've been called evil.

I ask you to show me concrete examples that don't rely on my simply and respectfully disagreeing with you.

I've been called a terrorist.

Wow.  I've been a loyal American citizen my entire life, and the most afoul of the law I've run is a couple of speeding tickets.  I do not resort to the threat or application of violence or property damage to achieve my goals.  If you think I'm a terrorist, God help you should ever encounter an actual one.