The women seen dining here are members of the “Jacksonville Belles and Beaus Old West Society.” They celebrate history by donning costumes for almost any era dating back to the Civil War—but with an emphasis on the Victorian days. You’ve seen them in Jacksonville’s Christmas and Chinese New Year parades; at other times strolling sidewalks while welcoming tourists. Their presence adds to the historical image of our town.

Another significant addition to Jacksonville has been the presence of our City Historian, Larry Smith. Larry serves in that office on a volunteer basis…without pay. He is known to many through his work as a school teacher… an award-winning one at that. Wherever the conversation turns historical, Larry brings a wealth of information to the discussion.

I mention these citizens because they celebrate history, with the understanding that any event in the past is set in the tapestry of mores in its associated time period. They do not reject the past because of social, moral, or ethical faults as seen in today’s world. They reject the ills without condemning everything else.

I once attended an Oscar party as Ginger Roger’s escort. While seated I overheard people at another table demeaning several black performers long-since deceased. Foolishly, I got up, walked over to them and brought up the name of Hattie McDaniel who won an Oscar for her role in Gone With the Wind. I might as well have mentioned Joseph Stalin or Adolph Hitler, for the reaction was vicious. They saw her as a subversive character wanting only to please white people. “Aunt Jemima” was one of their more polite phrases. Sadly, I walked back to my table. Not one of these people ever had to go through what Hattie’s generation went through. It was easier for them to be angry about the past… to reject everything… even the good with the bad.

That attitude can be seen all around us. Suddenly it has become urbane to be angry. Moreover, one must show that anger. One must get into the face of those they disapprove. The more vocal the anger the better.

The award-winning British actress, Thandie Newton, by any accounting highly successful, at the age of 46, a veteran of theater, television, and films is a perfect example of today’s culture. She explained that, “I’m always angry. I wake up angry. There is a lot to be angry about. Anger is a positive energy.” She has four children, a happy marriage, and twenty million dollars in the bank. And she’s angry.

She never read Mark Twain who wrote, “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” I would add, “Anger is the least satisfying emotion one can have.”

So why are all these people angry? Why are we losing sight of civility in government and politics? Debate and dialogue are taking a back seat to the politics of destruction and anger. Dogma has replaced thoughtful discussion between people of differing views. Remember Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan? They came from two different worlds, two different political parties, and two different sets of values. Still, they managed to find common ground and worked without this anger we see today. Indeed, it has gone beyond anger. It has turned to hatred.

It’s convenient to blame the politicians for all this. But I believe the hatred they show each other reflects the voters who put them in office. Moreover, I believe the voter’s anger is fueled by the media who know how to earn a dollar or two in the process. The result we are witnessing is a new form of anarchy… one self-imposed where anger rules and elected representatives of “We the People” never work for the “common cause.” And there is a common cause. It’s called freedom. Notice, the word freedom lacks any “ism” in its spelling.

Beware of “isms.” They use clever words promising a better world. Words like equality, fraternity, brotherhood, or slogans like, “New World Order.” Indeed, now we are hearing “New Green Order” from these politicians. They promise much and deliver little other than the crushing burden of conformity. If ever there was an enemy of freedom it is conformity. Just look at what’s happened to San Francisco, Chicago or Detroit. If you must be angry, there is something to be angry about.