United Against Anti-Semitism??

I see a lot of these signs on the roadside lately and, yes, of course I'm united against anti-semitism.

I'm also united against Islamophobia. And homophobia. And racism and bigotry and prejudice. And so many other things.

Basically, I am united against "otherism". If you look at another person and instantly categorize them by some attribute other than the human being, then sorry, I think you are part of the problem facing all of us right now.

Most of you know that I spent most of my twenties in the military. And while I'm not saying there are no problems in the military, it is the greatest meritocracy that exists (as far as I know). You either can get shit done or you can't and that is all that matters. Not your race, not your religion, not ancestry, not anything other than your skillset and the job in front of you.

I served with people of all faiths and people of no faith. I served with people of every skin color and every accent & dialect (although sadly, my own Boston / New England dialect was rather rare 😔). I commanded a team of over sixty people. The only thing they were ever judged on was whether they got their shit done or not.

James Taylor tells us to "shower the people you love with love". I'm sorry. As much as I love me some good JT from the '70's, he missed the mark by a long shot with that one. I say shower the people you can barely stand with love. Do that and we might just have a future.

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I don't know about you, but I am praying for Gaza and Israel this weekend. Please join me if you are so inclined.