LET NONE BE DEVALUED

Some will say, especially most Conservatives, in response to this week's that People With Disabilities should be silenced, as one character in this week's story did. They will say this either because, as the so-called friend said, people with disabilities might tend to vote for the party that supports their Rights (although of course even that is far from certain) or simply because their lives and thus opinions have less value than able bodied people's lives and opinions, perhaps because of mental disabilities as well as physical ones. This is a VERY dangerous road to start down. In a Healthy Democracy everyone's lives and opinions must be valued, regardless of ability, because when one group of people is devalued, it not only diminishes their very Humanity,, which is bad enough alone, it diminishes everyone's very Humanity, and makes society's very fabric crack. Also, once one devalues one group, any other group one finds a reason to dislike can also be devalued, and soon enough everyone one dislikes has lost their very Humanity, and then Civilization itself is REALLY in trouble. If all of this leaves some unconvinced that devaluing anyone should be avoided, also keep in mind that among today's disabled are many veterines of recent and not so recent wars. So, let no one be devalued because of any lack of ability, and to those that would do so, I say, "Your Time Is At An End" and it shall be the end. Let none consider themselves better than their neighbor because they can walk and their neighbor cannot, for we are all Human Beings First and Foremost, and so let no one seek to silence the broken.