It has been very hard to keep up with the politics and general status quo these days.  There is so much fear and hate... and yes anger.  I know some wonderful Christians, Jews, Muslims, Catholics and people of most faiths but there are those that want to speak for the masses of Christians or Jews or Muslims or what have you - and they are sometimes loud - and I hear a message of hate and fear from them.  Sometimes those voices are more moderate but like the proverbial squeaky wheel, it is the ones that are loudest that seem to get the most attention.  Those are the ones that might cater to our base instincts, our fears, prejudices and dissonance.  I wonder, where has moderation gone?  What has happened to create a loss of intelligent, civil discourse and moderation.

There is a difference in the world, their has been a shift in where the reasonable, honest people of the world endeavor to live in a fair, equatable air of freedom.  I've seen in Egypt a people, proud with an honorable commitment to a peaceful movement attempting to make a change.  Here in the United States I see a need to use fear and deceitful, divisive posturing to win a position any way they can.  Where will we go next?  In which direction will we choose to turn?  What kind of character will we display.  The character of the last several decades is one that has built itself upon the foundation of hate, fear and selfishness.