Blog 460 – 11.09.2016

The election is over, or at least as I write this I hope it will be on Wednesday morning when I plan to post this. The winners have graciously accepted the will of the voters and the losers have as well conceding to the chosen. Harsh words have been spoken but our strength has always been in working together to make things better.

All the slogans and promises, charges and counter charges aside the proof of our republic is that we come together to continue our experimental quest of creating a more perfect union. The divide and conquer politics of the primary and general election season will not help us in this effort. Trying to find common ground and compromise are what makes our government work and it is also what makes it so much easier to live with one another.

Most of us as children had parents and teachers who constantly reminded us to “play nice.” If is a fundamental lesson of working together. In the heat of a race to finish first often harsh words can engender “bad blood” between individual runners and teams but the race is over the winners celebrate and the losers may shed a tear or two in their beer but we need no vendettas or pay back for slights real or imagined. Forward, forward is the call to arms and we dare not leave anyone behind or there can be no true progress but a continual rear guard action or a constant fear of snipers from the flanks. United we stand or divided we fall.

But one time in U.S. history we failed to come together after a Presidential election and the result was a great Civil War. Our country still has problems rooted in that great divide. Let us never repeat that great mistake but rather continue on in our quest for a more perfect union. Let us renew our vow to support and defend the Constitution and keep The United States of America great and make her better with each new wave of emmigrants, and new generation of citizens.

You friend and fellow traveler,
David White