Rhetoric

As a general rule, I try to avoid politics. Seeing that this is an election year, I feel it is important to retain some balance in the viewpoints that are being made.

It appears to me that the rhetoric within our country is becoming more extreme. I keep hearing about how President Bush lied and he deliberately led us into a war for political gain, how it is to Republican advantage for the U.S. to get hit, (Which has some truth) implying that 9/11 could have been prevented but was not for this reason. If we get hit again, it is because Republicans wanted us to and deliberately did nothing to prevent it.

Pearl Harbor could have been prevented, but it was not deliberate. FDR maneuvered the U.S. into World War II, but I am convinced that he did NOT want the U.S. Pacific fleet wiped out. The U.S. needed to be involved in that war. I disagree with Senator Obama on many issues, but I am convinced that he is NOT attempting to convert the U.S. into an Islamic state. He does not want our military defeated on the field of battle. He just looks at the world differently than I.

I have a number of close friends (Including my wife) who are on the opposite side of the political scale. Yet I am convinced that they are NOT evil, nor do they seek to overthrow our present way of life. They just differ in how they see things and what they believe will work. We are Americans first. The greatest enemies our country faces are NOT our internal political opponents.

The rhetoric I am seeing today has me worried. We are attacking our President as if he were the enemy. We are attacking our President as if he is a lying, evil bastard. I am speaking of past Presidents as well as our current President. This looks to me like a trend that is becoming worse. We are so busy insulting each other that we can be losing focus. In the not too distant past, politicians could argue politics without the personal attacks. Then they could take the families out to dinner together. Even though they disagreed on important political issues, they could find many personal grounds for agreement, even friendship. This is becoming rare these days. Many times throughout history, armies have been wiped out, wars lost for political reasons. Many times, this was not deliberate. The greater enemy was seen as the political opponent as opposed to the hostile army or government. The United States is a great country. Please keep this in mind. Just because you disagree with some politician on an important issue does NOT mean that person wants to make the U.S. into a dictatorship or some other ‘evil’ entity. If you disagree, it may be because you see things differently. This is one of our countries greatest strengths. We will throw that away if we allow ourselves to believe that our political opponents are a greater threat than the external threats. This thinking can eventually lead to gridlock. It will eliminate the ability to compromise. One general cause for open warfare is change that occurs to rapidly, or to slowly. (Not at all) Gridlock will eventually lead to civil war. I think every American will agree that civil war would NOT be in OUR country’s best interest.