Last week I had another opportunity to speak with Stan Jones, the venerable Tulalip "chief" who helped guide the Tribes toward their current relative prosperity. And once again, I was struck by the tragedy that had been imposed on the local tribal communities when they were forced to make way for incoming settlers.

Children torn from their families and sent to boarding schools. Punishment handed out for speaking the native language or practicing traditional customs. The insistence on making a group of fishers and hunters learn to farm their unsuitable land. Not to mention the wholesale theft of territories from those who had lived here for centuries before.

Yes, America has several dark chapters in her history. The Japanese interment camps during World War II-and even earlier, the conscription of Chinese immigrants who worked as near-slave labor in the building of the country's railroad system. In fact, much of our country's early wealth and infrastructure were created on the backs of forced laborers of all ages and ethnic backgrounds.

Of course, racism directed toward African-Americans is one of the more insidious chapters. I grew up in Texas in the 1950s, and witnessed first-hand the bigotry that was widely practiced in the south and passively accepted in other regions. Despite all our affirmative actions and educational efforts, I still see the vestiges of that racism in my Texan friends and relatives. It has not gone away, not completely.

So now we're writing another chapter in our sad history book, and this one is directed toward a religion that has more followers than any other on earth.

The controversy surrounding the construction of a Muslim community center a few blocks from Ground Zero threatens to devolve into indiscriminate Islam-bashing and hateful rhetoric when the situation calls for thoughtful discussions and respectful compromises.

The wild-eyed protests and zealous comparisons of devout Muslims with Nazis or devils--or whatever representation of evil that fits on a sign-are not only unflattering portrayals of our idea of "freedom," they may also serve to make supporters of the project even more determined. Faced with unabashed bigotry and indignant about the lack of tolerance, they may dig their heels in even deeper and refuse to consider other options.

We're all Americans and, regardless of religious or political affiliation, the Constitution's guarantee of freedom applies to each one of us. Centuries ago George Washington, in a letter to Jewish leader Moses Seixas, wrote that in this new country, "every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid."

We've become a nation of combatants and side-takers. George would probably disapprove.

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