Keeping my mouth shut at the dentist’s office

My dentist is chatty. He does not toss out observations about the weather that are quickly dispatched so that work on my teeth can begin in earnest. No, while the saliva aspirator dangles like a coat hanger from my mouth he begins a discussion on politics or the economy, or as he did last Saturday, terrorism.
“”Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us”, he announced, quoting Israel’s former Prime Minister Golda Meir. Having spent time in both Israel and occupied Palestine, I disagree with that statement on many levels, but faced with the prospect of getting into a debate certain to annoy my doctor not to mention lengthen my time in his chair I let the statement go unchallenged but I’ve stewed about it ever since.
I have the personality of a zealot. On certain subjects, I feel compelled to explain my beliefs. And while age has taught me to moderate this tendency, racist statements still fall squarely on the right side of the line which is why not contesting the “Arabs loving their children” comment still feels wrong.
Today is Election Day, a celebration of democracy and the political principal that every citizen’s voice deserves to be heard. With that thought, I enter the blogosphere, another venue where anyone with the inclination can have their say.
I consider it an honor to be invited to contribute to OurGreenwich.com and I promise to saddle readers with the burden of my opinion only when it’s something I feel strongly about and when it is something on which I can write with authority and intelligence.
How nice if we could count on the same from our newly elected leaders, and our dentists.