Put the shoes down!

I read in the paper today about President Bush being attacked by a protester during a news conference in Iraq. Said protester yelled in Arabic, "This is your farewell kiss, you dog!" and then hurled a pair of size 10 shoes at the President. Luckily, Bush ducked and the shoes hit a wall instead. Obviously, this man wasn't a fan of Bush's war policy in Iraq.

I am all for people being able to speak their minds and have an opinion that differs from mine. That is fine. But what I have a hard time with is people who try to get their views across by violent means. "I hate President Bush and his war in my country so I am going to throw shoes at him!" Yes, that'll teach him! Granted, shoes are probably the only "weapon" this guy could get close to the President, but still it sounds ridiculous.

I love discussing differing opinions on a wide range of subjects with people. I always come away learning something. But when someone starts acting up it kind of turns my mind off to what they are trying to say. For example, after Proposition 8 was passed in California, there were mass protests that involved violence, destruction of property, and just pure hatred. Yeah, I am really going to listen to you argument and deem you a rational person as you fling hate filled insults at me while spray painting my house. I don't think so. Any chance you had at getting my attention and having me treat you like a dignified human being left the moment you picked up that can of spray paint. Don't these protesters understand that once they turn to violent means people pretty much don't listen to what they have to say and rather see them as irrational jerks? Probably not because most of these people are too filled with hate. If I were the President, chucking a pair fo shoes at my head won't make me reconsider the war.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had the right idea when it came to non-violent protests. It was kind of hard to ignore the message that was being conveyed by the protesters. They did it peacefully and it turned out that the police ended up looking like the bad guys. People started to reconsider and really think about the way black people were treated. The same applies for the persecution for the early Saints. Sure, people didn't like the church, but many were amazed at the perseverance of it's members. "Will these people never give up their cause?" No. And because the Saints stuck it out and did so quietly, they were able to eventually flourish and remain strong. How damaging it would have been to early Church it they returned the abuse unleashed upon them back to their abusers. Nothing would have been accomplished.

If you want me to listen to your point of view don't come running at me with hate filled words, spray paint, or shoes. Act like a rational and semi-intelligent human being and then perhaps I will treat you like one.