My Cry in The Wilderness

I have always tried to shy away from political and religious themes in my columns; and I know better than most how contentious those topics can be, since my own family was evenly divided on both.  However, I am seeing a trend that I know will soon divide our whole country, and I can not and will not watch it develop without comment.

We, the American people, have become so polarized in our opinions and beliefs that many of us  no longer read or listen to the other side of any debate.   In fact, some people have decided that there is no other side; the terms "settled science" and "my way, or the highway" are being used more often nowadays.

When any sensitive topic is raised for discussion, especially those that touch on rights and entitlements, instead of allowing intelligent debate, the quick response is to denigrate the person who disagrees with the modern-day interpretation.  Name calling and quoting out of context are two common ploys to deflect opposition views.

You all know that I am a conservative, but don't you dare call me a Republican, or a member of the Tea Party.  If any label applies, it is Independent, because I do share some views with both sides, depending on the issue, but I long since quit being a "joiner."  And I do listen to Rush Limbaugh when on the road, but I'm not a"ditto head" fanatic.

Speaking of Limbaugh, he is one of those debaters who is often misquoted, taken out of context or denigrated by his opponents.  Whenever I hear someone say bad things about him, I am pretty certain that they are parroting someone else.  I know this because they rarely give any specific details about why they say it.  Truth is, they probably have never listened to the show. You see, Rush really is right about ninety-nine percent of the time, and history bears it out.

But I digress...  I'm not writing this column to defend or promote any personality.

My reason for opening this Pandora's Box is that I have become convinced that we are on the verge of a violent clash of cultures.  I hesitate to call it a civil war, but it could come to that, and the catalyst might be the figure who replaces our current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  I will not participate in any insurrection, and I don't want to even think about the consequences.  But it would be a horrible end of our republic to "...put asunder what God has joined together."

Think about it!  That's all I can ask.  We must return to the table and open our hearts and minds to the tragedy before us if we don't use our God-given reason.