With all the rhetoric and pontificating in the world, with all the posturing, vilifying, degrading, belittling, and antagonising, it is difficult to hear Christ in any of the words of our leaders. If they would only stop for a minute and hear their words as they are received by those they target, perhaps they would think twice about what they are saying and how they are saying it. Words are cheap and thrown away, but the hurt they cause and the lasting damage may be very costly in the long run.