Political correctness that's incorrect

Hooray for “political correctness.” That is now the watchword for America. It has become an every-other-word addition to our vocabulary and a driving forced addition to our Constitution.

Don’t believe me? Think about it. If you open your mouth about almost any subject, seriously or joking, you subject yourself to being called politically incorrect. And, in fact, hot on the heels of that observation you may even be called a bigot.

What brought on this rant? It was bound to happen after my most recent “Cuff” when I hinted I‘d rant about something. I really hadn’t meant it but a recent little item in a USAToday newspaper caught my attention.

The item headline read: “Court: 14 Crosses Violate the Constitution.”

The brief accompanying article spelled out thescenario “That 14 crosses erected along the roads in Utah to commemorate fallen state highway patrol officers convey a state preference for Christianity and are a violation of the Constitution.” That was the ruling of a three judge panel from Denver’s 10th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

What next? Will the crosses on tombstones of service personnel be the next to go? “Rip up those tombstones,” the court might rule. “We’ll have no Christian symbols decorating our cemeteries.”

Now you know where I’m coming from. And where am I going?

Consider this:

We rant and rave about Congress and the President, about the craziness that comes from those branches of government. But neither of them is a ruler of the roost. The court system, which hasworked slowly and effectively in bringing about desired and acceptable change, has worked methodically for a couple of centuries. True, sometimes not at the speed some wanted, sometimes at too fast a speed.

But the political correctness syndrome has taken over society. And today’s court system, by and large, is running amok. What once was common sense in interpretation of the intent of our founding documents has become a torrent of making everything and everyone politically correct.

Now, having written this, I know I’m not being politically correct. Maybe some might even label me a bigot. But somehow I can’t help but believe there are many of you out there who still believe that expressing an opinion all might not agree with isn’t bigotry. Some of you might even agree that it’s called freedom.

Dodie Evans is the editor emeritus of the Westside Eagle Observer and may be reached by e-mail at [email protected].