I live outside of a small town.  One of my favororite things about this town is that it has a great little diner.  Not only is the food good (the smoked stuffed pork chops are to die for), but I even like the people who frequent the place.

The majority of the diner's regular patrons are retired guys and farmers.  It might surprise those of you that know me, but I've grown to like these self described "old coots".  They are one of the reasons I frequent the diner for breakfast or lunch at least once or twice a week.

 The other day I went in for an early lunch (yeah, I had the pork chops).  As I was sitting there eating and chatting, Harry got up to leave.  He said he was all coffee'd out and was going to catch the bus to Des Moines for his doctors appointment at the VA (Harry lost half of his left leg in Vietnam).

Harry is one of my favorite guys.  He still proudly wears his USMC hat, knows more dirty jokes then anyone I've ever met and was the first person to stick up for me when I started visiting the diner and one of the guys started to give me a ration of crap for being "one of them lesbians that just moved here".

I watched Harry hobble across the road to the bus stop on his cane.  As I sat there observing, I watched two teen girls and one young man sitting on the bench as Harry walked up.   I looked harder when a couple of the guys started mumbling "that just ain't right" when none of the three got up off the bench in the bus shelter and offered Harry a place to sit.

I thought on this as I finished my meal and paid my bill.  Figuring I had a few spare minutes,  I got in my car I drove across the road and parked next to the bus shelter and called Harry over.  I told him to have a seat inside my car because it was getting colder and the wind was starting to blow.

I probably would have just ignored the three of them as Harry walked around the car to get in except the young man decided that he would put a sneer on his face and snicker. 

I was already kind of pissed so as Harry got in, I got out. 

The young "man" looked at me and I told him, "It's WAY wrong that you're sitting on your butt when a guy with a cane has to stand.  What the hell is with that?" 

His brilliant reply was, "Hey, I got here first and 'sides he doesn't deserve to sit any more then I do!" 

I looked pointedly at the "This seating reserved for the use of senior citizens and disabled persons" sticker on the side of the shelter, shook my head and walked away.  Of course, like the big, brave man he was, he said, "What's it to you anyways?"

I was going to let loose on him when Harry asked told me not to bother and said that I should just ignore him.

After the bus came, I was driving home and I was STILL thinking about what happened.  As usual, I came up with what I SHOULD have said several miles later.

What I SHOULD have said was, "Dude, what's it to me is that what you are doing is wrong.   That man EARNED the right to your respect and I have every right and, in fact, the DUTY to call you on your behavior and actions".

Today, I was looking through Facebook and read where some fundy, pro-life douche posted some biblically based hate speech on a pro-choice page.   A few people confronted him, but most comments were to the effect, "You just need to ignore him". 

Later I saw pretty much the same thing by a homophobe and the same "you've got to learn to ignore them" responses.

This has brought back my thoughts from the other day. 

How can a person EARN their rights if they are not willing to stand up and fight for them?  How can you say you deserve something when you won't confront the people who try to prevent you from having it?  How does "ignoring" a problem make it better?

For me, the "ignoring" and "accepting" ends today.  I encourage you to stop "accepting" hate & ignorance and stand up to it as well.  After all, the Harry's of the world EARNED us the honor of doing so.