I miss the days before Facebook, when people’s opinions weren’t so openly (an often aggressively) shouted as fact, and men didn’t judge one another based on their religious beliefs or who they voted for. Living as a liberal in Southeast Texas is not easy.

All day, every day, I see hateful propaganda (most of which are half-truths and many of which are outright lies) posted by people who I believe are otherwise trustworthy and intelligent. And now… I’m seeing posts by some of my conservative Facebook friends insisting that I (or anyone who supports the president) unfriend them.

Gee Whiz. If I insisted that my conservative Facebook friends remove me from their list, I’d be left with about 20 Facebook friends.

Seriously, folks. Just calm down. We all have different opinions and philosophical differences. We always have, and this is nothing new. It’s just that Facebook provides a platform for self expression like never before, and each of us thinks our opinions are as valid as anyone else’s… when in fact, they are not.

Unless you have a graduate degree in economics or political science, then please have the insight to realize that your “opinion” or knowledge of such matters is purely based on things that you’ve been shown by others who agree with you, often in their most extreme forms.

I love all my conservative friends and I respect their positions and opinions, regardless of how ridiculous they seem to me. I don’t judge you for your philosophical beliefs and I hope you don’t judge me for mine. And for those of you calling for it, I refuse to unfriend you just because I support the president. Being liberal doesn’t make me un-American. In fact, liberal thought and progressive policies created this wonderful nation, and I would stand next to any of you and challenge your patriotism compared to mine.

Now let’s all be friends and have fun. And please… let’s try to turn hatebook back into facebook.