We learn sumthin new everday..... the Cookie gets serious fer a spell...

Well Sir...I guess its time fer this here Cookie to admit his naivete' regardin certain area's of life...

Having been a Homicide Detective with a Police Crime Lab for over 15 years, after retirement, I made a decision that I was going to concern myself with the much less serious things in life. See enuff dead bodies, and witness first hand the extent to just how destructive and cruel Human Beings can be towards each other, and ya need to get away from that kind of hatred, anger and cruelty.

Somewheres along the line during retirement, a friend of mine, The Dread Pundit Bluto, suggested that I give blogging a try, you know, sort of a small hobby and self entertainment. So, after reading and perusing many many blogs, it became apparent that the amount of pundits, writers and columnists with excellent writing credentials and experience that covered the more serious aspects of world events and politics were almost innumerable.

Now Sir...since I had made the decision much earlier in life to try and remain as positive and up-beat as possible, I elected to simply put together a blog that was hopefully as humorous as I could make it, interspersed with various meal recipe's of my own, and those of other good folks who would also like to share their epicurean delights with the rest of us....hence...The Cookshack--Gab & Grub was born.

In the blog-o-sphere, it doesn't take long to make new friends and acquaintances, and I eventually began to make friends from other countries throughout the world. One of the more positive aspects of blogging.

One of the friends I made during my journey was a young Jewish man who posts from Israel, his name is Eitan. As we got to know each other better, I began frequenting his blog on a very regular basis.

Now Sir....I'm 62 years old, and through my Military and Police experiences, as well as my extensive personal travels throughout this world, I have witnessed various forms of bigotry, prejudice and racial hatred first hand, so I'm not a novice to seeing (and experiencing) this toxic arena of life. However, after blogging for a little over a year, I discovered, and was admittedly taken aback by, the huge amount of anti-Semitism, Neo-Nazi hate sites and vast, overall racial and anti-religious hate speech sites throughout the blog-o-sphere. It should noted here that I am not a religious person, by any means, but I do have a strong belief in a Higher Power, a Higher Power I choose to call God.

Upon visiting Eitan's Jewish blog regularly, and becoming friends with him, I read many various hate comments left by those cowardly individuals who hide behind the anonymity of the Inter-net and cyber-space. A lowly breed fer sure.....

As I investigated further, I began to see the vast quantity of the number of sites throughout this medium that are devoted to spreading their toxic, hate-filled messages, regardless of who they were attacking, Jews, Muslims, Whites, Blacks, Protestants, Catholics, Baptists, religious folks, non-religious folks, Liberal folks, Conservative folks....you name it...the list goes on. Pick a group, any group, and there is a hate site blog out there somewhere posting venomous, toxic, hate-filled rhetoric diatribe about it. I must admit, my eyes were opened.

OK...so where am I going with all of this? Well Sir...first off, I wanted to relate to y'all the personal experience I just shared with you. Secondly, I guess I'm asking all of those good folks out there who are readin this here article, to, if'n yur up to it, get involved by standin up to these hate merchants.

I don't care if'n yur religious, or secular. Conservative or Liberal, or what color yur skin is...make yourself heard by these hate-mongering, fear spreading individuals who are trying to foment misunderstanding, misinformation and hatred. Stand up and be heard. Leave yur comments in the comment section of someone's site, especially if that someone is being attacked by the type of person I have described above. If'n ya have a blog of yur own, write an article such as this, and, if'n yur of a mind to (and sometimes this is the most difficult thing to do), say a prayer fer the person spreading the hatred. You may not believe in doing this...but it does work.

OK...that's it....Cookie has spoken his mind. Now...get yurself out there and spread some good in this world....cain't hurt......and God knows...we need it....

Cookie.....