I will admit, my hands are shaking a bit as I make my first post under JordanCornblog. There are probably a number of reasons why I am nervous about my initial entry. I suspect a large part has to do with the censorship I’ve endured throughout the years.

You see, I come from a family of Republicans or “nothings”. They either don’t talk policy/politics or they err on the side of conservative thought. Perhaps it was this upbringing that has fueled my desire to try to be reasonable. To listen to others when they want to share their thoughts. And, for the most part, I feel pretty good about my attempts. Except when I hear hate being spewed out for all to hear.

This weekend, as I went to dig into my Caesar salad at a local pizza shop, I heard the headlines blare throughout the empty restaurant. I paused mid-lift, looked up to see the infamous “FOX NEWS” logo flashed on the screen. The headline, bold and red, stated “Illegal Immigrant Crime on the Rise”. I looked around and quickly determined that, if I was going to have the stomach to consume my salad, the channel would need to get changed ASAP.

The issue wasn’t so much the story but, rather, the tone in which it was stated. Then, of course, they had to hear expert analysis about how much crime occurs in our nation from illegal immigrants. There was no mention about the amount of crime LEGAL citizens commit – only what those “damn aliens” are doing.

Due to my conditioning of “fair and balanced” news, I knew exactly who was sharing the story. I didn’t see this headline emblazoned on my local news or local paper. No, it was just on the network that feels the need to propagate fear and hate through their news.

I often wonder if we’ll ever get back to a time where the words “”muslim” and “airplanes” won’t send chills down our spine. Where politicians won’t play on these fears to push their own agenda.

Will we ever see the light of equality and reason or is there too much red hiding the way?