Words Are Weapons . . . Do We Need A "Checkpoint Charlie?"
By Debbie Daniel (02/22/05)
Have we built barriers in our own beloved America that are tantamount to the Berlin Wall being built to keep East Berliners out of West Berlin? Do we need a “time-out” and go to our respective corners before we continue pouring more concrete sewage into a footing that we may never be able to move?
The concrete? Words . . . just words; deadlier than a nuclear blast. Why? Because it’s a slow, grueling death. It eats away at the very fiber of who we are and then decay sets in and it’s over.
Every single day I hear another flagrant comment or a flippant remark that continues to drive a wedge deeper into the hearts of Americans. A permanent foundation is being laid for a strong, steely wall that may never come down and it is separating Americans at a rampant pace.
It’s killing the spirit of our soldiers and is administered with full knowledge of our being at war – deliberate intent.
Are we separating ourselves from each other and not aware that it’s happening? Sometimes I think we need our own “Checkpoint Charlie” where we can hang our cloaks of anger, relinquish our hate, and surrender our total disregard for one another before we cross over.
There’s a fine line, and it’s really not the big white line of demarcation that was painted on the street in Berlin - where the little shack stood called Checkpoint Charlie – but it’s the fine line of “respect” that we keep crossing. We don’t seem to ever check ourselves there first and I’m not sure we care.
When I look back and listen to the words of Howard Dean, the newly elected Democratic National Committee Chairman say with adamant conviction: “I hate Republicans and everything they stand for,” I find myself thinking, “Those Republicans are Americans he hates.” It’s you, it’s me and in the name of free speech . . . it’s HATE!
And this is the man who supposedly represents over 50 million people in this great land that I love. But in Mr. Dean’s next breath, he says he want to have civil discourse. Ah, yes, civil discourse.
If a tenured college professor, Ward Churchill, says that all the people who died on 9/11 deserved to die because they were “little Nazis,” what message does this send to the enemy? And how must it affect the families of those who perished?
The professor follows up with, “There should be more 9/11’s.” More Americans should die in burning buildings? Oh, yes, that’s what we all wish for . . . more Americans dying at the hands of terrorists. But to add insult to injury, this man is invited to share his “desire for death” with other college students across America . . . in the name of “free speech.”
Once again, no respect.
I heard Hillary Clinton say on “Meet the Press” that our soldiers are fighting a war for someone else’s freedom. I believe that it’s ultimately our freedom as well, but let me share these words with Mrs. Clinton from her husband’s hero, President John F. Kennedy. And someone might want to pass them along to little brother, Teddy.
President Kennedy said, “Let every nation know whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
That’s freedom, Ma’am . . . for you, for me, and yes, perhaps someone else.
Teddy says, “The rest of the nation wants our soldiers to leave Iraq immediately.” Well, NO WE DON’T!
Nancy Pelosi speaks for Democrats saying, “The rest of the country believes like we do.” Well, NO WE DON’T!
And then I listen to Bill Maher, the host of “Real Time with Bill Maher” say, “Christians suffer from a neurological disorder that stops people from thinking.” He went on to say that he’s embarrassed that America has been taken over by religion.
Those words confirm what the Christian author, Beth Moore, says: “The battle is all around us, people are being spiritually be-headed while we (Christians) often remain unmoved.”
Well, most Christians are trying to be tolerant, but as you can see, you’re going to be accused whether you’re tolerant or not. If you call yourself a Christian, you are a target.
And the losing Presidential candidate, John Kerry, says: “Hollywood represents our society . . . they are the heart and soul of the American people.” NO, HOLLYWOOD DOES NOT represent all of our society.
Chris Rock, who is the spokesman for Hollywood at this year’s Oscar Awards, has made his own declarations that abortion is beautiful, and he loves to go to abortion rallies because he knows he can pick up women who are more than willing to . . . .” I don’t even want to repeat what he said. We’ll just leave it there.
Is this truly who Americans are? Is this the heart and soul of our country? Mr. Rock went on to say that white men who wear American flags on their hats frighten him more than al-Quaeda or Osama bin Laden.
We may sit nonchalantly sipping our soda and eating more chips, but do we really realize what this man who represents the heart and soul of America just said?
When will it end? I don’t know how much longer we can listen to hate that’s being shouted by protesters, hate that’s being taught in our schools, hate that’s being crammed down our throats, hate that’s being directed at Christians . . . and it’s all in the name of “free speech.”
I’m using it figuratively, but when I read about the “Checkpoint Charlie” that was used as one of the border crossings during the time of the cold war, I begin to believe it might be good to have our own “Checkpoint Charlie.” It may be the answer to being victorious in this war we’re fighting.
Here we can check our weapons (words); unload our guns, if you will; and out of respect for one American to another, make sure we don’t cross the line.
I’m not calling for censorship; I’m calling for responsible people to come to a place where together we can win. But we may have already crossed that line.
Our freedom of speech may very well become our bondage. In our desire to exercise our right to say what we wish, we expose our weakness to the enemy. If we keep telling the enemy how much we hate each other, the enemy may be emboldened to tear down more than a few buildings in lower Manhattan.
Our freedom of speech may very well become the defeat of our soldiers. It’s a weapon we’ve used against our own men and women who are executing a war against an enemy that hates us. We will assure defeat with words that undermine their will to win.
Are we building barriers with our words? This story says it all.
A woman in her 80’s described how she and her sister, separated for 28 years by the Berlin wall, spent a jubilant evening in November 1989 toasting its fall. Soon thereafter, however, the sister from the East started to see the sister from the West as patronizing and arrogant. The sister from the West grew tired of the complaints and requests for assistance from her Eastern sister. Within one month, the relationship had a barrier that was even more insurmountable than the one made of concrete and reinforced steel.
Yes, words are a deadly weapon. And it can even cause mass destruction.
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