You Will Pay

You Will Come Under Attack

Sponsored by CrisDental Eugene

When I worked as a television news anchor in Eugene, Oregon I had to ride the fence.

Oh, I spoke out on issues and many knew “kind of” where I stood (a bit more conservative than some) but I never spoke openly about my politics.

I knew I’d loose people if they knew the depth of what I really believed.

I also took seriously the role of Journalism, to be fair, open and give both sides of the story.

In a place like Oregon you can quickly find yourself canceled if you are 100% open and honest with the culture.

I was always pretty open about my faith.

I took some hits for that.

Non-believers wrote me off on certain issues and when I still believed but left the institution known as the church many believers discounted my ideas because I was no longer in “The Club.”

My first real awakening to the meanness and madness turned on those who speak up and speak out was when the area I came from was inundated with lawless drifters some liked to call “The Unhoused.”

I spoke with these folks, knew why they were here, and reported back via my social media what they were telling me.

The drifters were honest and open but those cultural feelers, who act only with their heart and forget to include their brains, didn’t like honesty they just wanted to feel good and virtuous about their random acts of “kindness.”

I took some major hits for that.

People came after me.

In the news business I had the best “Q Ratings” which tells how popular you were at the time.

I was liked and loved by a lot of people.

But looking back it was because I wasn’t being authentic to who I am and was allowing them to mold me into something acceptable to them.

When Covid hit the fences went down, the journalist in me revolted at the censorship and the human in me recoiled at how easily people gave up their rights, their freedom and their sanity as they succumbed to authoritarian fear mongers.

I lost a lot of people in my life when I spoke out honestly about my beliefs….a lot.

I lost business.

People who want to look good to the community don’t want to associate with someone who is controversial.

People turned on me.

Not all of them but quite a few.

All of the sudden the guy everyone used to like was hated by people for what he stood against.

I don’t hear from old friends who I know disagree with me.

People I worked with never respond.

No one ever asked my reasons I became a ghost to them.

People I cared about, people I mentored, people who mentored me.

Silence.

I voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.

I didn’t tell many people.

He wasn’t my favorite person but I knew he was better than Hillary or Joe.

I stayed pretty silent on the matter until six months ago.

I, like a lot of other folks, couldn’t stay silent anymore.

I see Trumps opposition and I’m appalled by the nastiness and hate from people I know can be kind.

The other day a friend told me he was at an appointment and someone he doesn’t even know, found out he was friends with me and felt perfectly okay bad mouthing me.

I don’t know this person at all but he, in his professional role, had no problem expressing his dislike for me while on the job.

How did we get to this place of hate?

I hear Democrats crying for unity out of one side of their mouths but calling people like me racists and fascists out of the other side.

You can’t have it both ways.

For years I played under their rules.

I stretched them and moved lines but I’m not willing to do that anymore.

A friend sent me this message out of a book he reads a lot.

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:31-32

I will try but God also tells us not to bow to evil.

I don’t think this is a battle between democrats and republicans.

I don’t think it’s all about ideology.

I think this is a battle in the unseen world between good and evil.

Just saying that puts a target on my back, again.

Oh well.

I wish I had some positive spin to leave you with at the end of this write up but I don’t.

So I’ll end because the greatest story ever told has just begun.