My response to Hawkins 20 Basic Truths You Cant Talk About in America 1.

The American Psychological Association does not consider transgender people to have a mental disorder. My own personal belief about this and similar issues is that a person has a right to be happy as long as it does not harm anyone else. Thus if a person feels more comfortable changing genders, I have no issue with this. 2. This is a rather blanket statement that I have mixed feelings on. I do think there are a lot of people who dont do all they could. For example, I saw many people in my time as a cashier use food stamps to buy soda and candy. But I wouldnt want to generalize this as most. Many, many poor people are in situations that I cannot imagine and thus I shouldnt judge. 3. African Americans have a long history of abuse by Caucasian Americans. Only in the past generation or two have they had a semblance of a fair chance at life. Is it any surprise that many people in this group lead troubled lives? I am not suggesting anyone who commits a crime get a free pass because of their race, Im merely suggesting we not attack a race as a whole for committing crimes when we enslaved that race and continued to deny them rights for another hundred years. 4. This is such a general statement that I cannot really comment on it. 5. I do agree with this. People need to be prepared to make sacrifices to make America and the world a better place in the future. 6. It is nearly impossible to obtain a green card, let alone citizenship, in America anymore. This is a well-documented and extremely troubling phenomenon. Immigrants (illegal or not) do many of the toughest jobs in America for little pay, and our economy relies heavily on them. The best solution for everyone is to find a way to speed up the Green Card / citizenship process. Do a background check to make sure prospective immigrants are not criminals, and then let them contribute to society. It should not take a decade and tens of thousands of dollars in fees on top of the taxes they pay to have the right to stay in America when they are working hard. 7. I personally feel that if a person has sex, they need to deal with the consequences of it. Thus I dont agree with abortion except in cases of rape or incest. However, I still listen and try to understand the other point of view. 8. This is another general statement with no facts to support it. People need to stop thinking along the lines of us vs. them. Its not Democrats vs. Republicans or liberals

vs. conservatives. We all want a better America and a better world. We need to accept this and realize we simply have different ideas on how to achieve this goal. 9. Quite frankly, I find this claim to be among the most offensive. Obviously the first part is true; any military needs to limit civilian casualties as much as possible. But why in the world is an American soldier worth more than a foreign civilian? Americans are not superior to any other countrys citizens. It is exactly that line of thinking that led to slavery and the Holocaust. We should all be past thinking in this way. 10. This is a statement that I agree with but could be phrased a little better. The best way to fix this remedy would be to educate such people or ask them to educate themselves before voting. 11. Admittedly, I do not know much on this topic, so I will steer clear of it. 12. Yes, Christians did found this nation. And when they did so they declared that everyone would have religious freedom and that there would be separation of church and state. This should not be considered a Christian nation, but a nation of religious freedom. I am Christian, by the way, just for reference. 13. This is yet another statement that is too general too address. Yes, biologically it is certainly true. In general, men have more muscle mass. I am not certain of any new studies have refuted this, but I have heard in the scientific community that women, in general, have easier times communicating and empathizing. However, these are incredible generalizations over an incredibly large population of humans. It is extremely easy to find a woman stronger than a man of the same age, or a man who is extremely compassionate. I think it best to shy away from traditional gender roles and stereotypes that led to millennia of prejudice and injustice. 14. Obviously, we have made great strides as a nation towards racial equality. But there are still many cases of racism in todays world. It is insulting to classify most accusations of racism as phony. 15. Maybe its just me, but this seems too confusing to understand. If a person had to pay back the worth of services they received in order to get more services, what is the point of getting the services in the first place? There is no net gain or loss. 16. I think most people agree that in general, its better to have two parents than one. Many people with only a mother desire a father figure, and vice versa with a mother figure. But that doesnt mean single parents cant do an amazing job! And no studies have shown

any difference between homosexual and heterosexual parents. As long as the caregivers love their children and raise them to be good people, who cares? 17. This is easily among the most offensive posts to me. First, people need to stop thinking that all or most gay men are pedophiles or rapists. Those are absolutely completely different things. Straight men are attracted to women. Most straight men do not rape women. Similarly, gay men are attracted to men. Most gay men do not rape men. Gay does not equal pedophile or rapist. This argument is basically invalid because we leave our children alone with adults of the opposite sex all the time. Admittedly not often in the woods, but in other secluded places. Do we forbid our daughters from staying in detention if she has a male teacher? Or being coached by a male if they are on a sports team? Many straight men murder, abuse, or molest male children too, so there is also a risk of sending a boy into the woods with a straight scoutmaster. The best thing to do is get to know the people in charge of your kids and make sure you tell them to let you know if anyone tries to abuse them in any way. 18. Many homeless people are mentally ill or are dependent on drugs, but not all. (I am aware that the original author did not say all.) I do not know the exact statistics. But forcibly rounding up a group of people for any reason is a bad idea. It is a slippery slope to much worse scenarios. The best way to help is tohelp them. Offer food, shelter, and treatment. But you cant go around rounding people up and forcing them to accept your aid, unless they are a clear and dangerous risk to society (i.e. violently mentally ill people who doctors agree must be committed). 19. Another generalized statement. If you are one of the few people who do not work just so you receive welfare and food stamps, then yes, you should feel guilty. But that is not the case for the vast majority of people. Food stamps and welfare are designed to help people going through difficult circumstances. People who lose their jobs and need time to find another, victims of disasters, etc. What is especially disconcerting about the authors statement is the issue of school lunches. Is he saying that children should feel guilty for needing a free or reduced lunch? They have done nothing and it is the duty of any civilized society to aid its most helpless. 20. This is like saying, It would be better if all Americans were college graduates. Obviously it would be better if everyone was better educated. But the solution isnt to exterminate or evict everyone without a college degree! Similarly, the solution to the authors immigration claim isnt to simply let in highly educated immigrants.