What’s Going On?

I don’t usually post about politics, but I do follow political news more than most, and for the first time in my life, I’m trying to take a break from it all. The reasons are obvious unless you don’t have the slightest clue about what is going on right now. I first became interested when I was younger when some high school friends and I began taking fishing trips on almost a weekly basis. Hours stuck together in a truck or on the boat together is a sure-fire way of sparking such a discussion. My friends were experts at pushing each other’s buttons for fun and going for the jugular when serious.

We had some intense disagreements, find ourselves all over the political and religious spectrums, but somehow managed to stay close after all these years. This group I am lucky to belong to is more than just some guys that like to hang out. I know without a doubt that each of us would do anything for the other. And that is despite some of the most serious arguments, complete with insults that dropped a little too low and even resulted in a few instances of fisticuffs. (We’re guys... it’s not that uncommon.) So, to stay current and be able to go toe-to-toe with them is one of the reasons I like to stay well-informed.

That said, there are additionally several other reasons I stay tuned-in, but the main reasons are my fascination with U.S. History and the simple fact that America has, for better or worst depending on your opinion, long been the greatest influencer to the rest of the world for well over a century now. So, what are we to think about what is going on in now? It’s no secret that the current American political system has caused an extreme aperture so severe, that it’s hard to see unification of any sort as a plausible outcome. What’s most disturbing about this is that this very division was one of the foremost occurrences our founders sought to avoid.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that two people could have a disagreement, shake hands, and then grab a beer. But now? Supporting the wrong candidate can get you fired from a job... and no, that’s not hyperbole. If you think it is, then you haven’t been paying attention. It won’t be too long before shopping at the wrong place will cost you relationships. “You shop at Home Depot? I thought you were a good guy.” “You bought a My Pillow? Go to Hell!” And what would you have said a few years ago if I told you that a sitting, duly elected President of the United States of America could be silenced completely by the only common method of communication used today? You would have said that would be ridiculous... at least if you were honest about it. And what if I doubled-down and said that all of that president’s 80 million followers would be silenced too? Again, you would have scoffed. And again, if you don’t know this is happening today, you haven’t been paying attention.

We are at a serious crossroads in our nation. I know there are people who disagree with me, but at least I am grown up enough to know that is okay. At least I am honest enough to say that, if the shoe were on the other foot, I would be outraged. I’m not so blinded by my affiliations to call out double standards when I see them. To respect the idea that we all should be able to speak freely in the “Land of the Free.” I only ask that my fellow citizens, friends and family members who think differently than I be brave enough to come to my defense in the “Land of the Brave.” I promise you that I would.