Posted on 01/24/2017 6:39:44 PM PST by SJackson
On Friday, I attended the inauguration of President Donald Trump, with hundreds of thousands of other fortunate witnesses to the peaceful transfer of unimaginable power. It was an inspirational and patriotic experience. The inaugural concert was especially moving, and I thought that Trump’s address was punchy and to the point.
The very next day I stood on a street corner across from the White House and witnessed hundreds of thousands of protesters demonstrating against his presidency at the Women’s March. An endless river of humanity swept passed me.
Welcome to schizophrenic America, where, in the space of just 48 hours, the capital city can change from blue to red to blue again.
Are these opposing stripes now destined to forever remain parallel lines that never meet? Are we the generation to have witnessed the last of a united America?
In asking whether America can be brought together again in our lifetimes, let me be clear that there is nothing inherently wrong with deep political divisions in our nation — as long as no side suppresses or disrespects the rights of the other. To be sure, America is much stronger unified. And yet, the very essence of democracy is the existence of opposing factions that need not always cohere. When people say that America is more divided than ever before, they forget the 20,000 who died in a single day at Antietam, the more than 50,000 who died at Gettysburg or the four students murdered at Kent State.
But, as President Trump said in his inaugural address — quoting from the Bible — there is sublime beauty when people dwell together.
I am personally wounded by the deep divisions in our country, which manifest themselves in increasingly bitter exchanges that I witness at our Sabbath table on Friday nights. Most weeks we host significant numbers of people from the Left and Right, liberals and conservatives. But these days, I find myself increasingly in the position of having to police the exchanges, lest they drift in an instant into friction, acrimony and discord.
Given that America today is more prone to political extremes, what can possibly unite us?
Is it religion?
No. Not just yet.
I would venture that a large percentage of the Trump supporters who came to DC are more identifiably religious than the arguably more secular crowd that participated at the Women’s March. In that sense, religion may be dividing rather than unifying America.
Is it, perhaps, patriotism, then? No, because the two sides have very different definitions of what constitutes patriotic loyalty. The Right glorifies the military — as was plain from Toby Keith’s message at the inaugural concert — while the Left puts greater emphasis on patriotism expressed in social justice.
We are left then with only one solution: values.
The American Right and Left must be united through common values: a shared dedication to the infinite dignity of the human person, to protecting the innocence of children, respect for the sanctity of love and relationships, a shared belief in generosity and charity, a commitment to the blessing of education and knowledge, a respect for women as the equals of men — a commitment to a common humanity. Cap this off with unbridled dedication to the integrity of the will of the people as expressed in the democratic process and we still might be one nation, under God.
The women who marched in DC might not be great fans of Donald Trump. But they sure looked like they enjoyed marching together. And we must emphasize to them that the glue that binds them as a sisterhood is a shared belief in affirming their values, rather than a hatred of Trump. Likewise, those who gathered on the steps of the Capitol to salute America’s 45th President should affirm the idea of unity, rather than despising the Left.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the Chabad system in Judaism, once said that a bird requires two wings pushing in opposite directions in order to fly.
Can we not see the political Right and Left in the same light?
Would America be blessed if we were a one-party state like China or Putin’s Russia?
I read many of the thousands of signs that passed me by at the Women’s March. Those that affirmed the dignity and equality of women touched my heart. I am, after all, the father of six daughters. But those that vilified Trump, dropped the F-bomb or displayed lewd depictions of the female anatomy (and you’d be amazed at how many there were) left me cold.
Conversely, President Trump’s calls for unity during his inaugural were the most moving parts of his address. But those in the crowd who booed Chuck Schumer, even as his speech seemed unnecessarily laden with political calculation, undermined the dignity of the inaugural.
In the final analysis, Americans need to ask themselves a simple question: Will it take tragedy to bring us together, as it did at 9/11? Or will we reach out to one another in full recognition that a nation as fortunate as America must see as its greatest blessing not just diversity of ethnicity and color, but especially the diversity of opinion, creed and thought.
How utterly boring and monolithic it would be otherwise.
If you'd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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“Can we not see the political Right and Left in the same light?”
No
The only realistic means to raise values among the people is religion. And by far the best religions for that purpose are Judaism and Christianity.
“Social justice” is NOT something that can ever be achieved by the communist inspired leftists. It inevitably fails, and turns into dictatorship of the masses by one sort of politburo or another.
We need to work together, Christians and Jews, Catholics and Protestants, agreeing to disagree on many matters but united on such matters as the right to life, family values, real marriage, and so forth.
I work on a major military base and I have a guy that is constantly in my face about this election because he knows how I voted. (Trump)
He’s a hardcore lefty and I think becoming unhinged
Its getting weird this guy is off in far left field
As evidenced by the past almost two years, more openly than EVER BEFORE, this nation is extremely divided and only a complete catastrophe ( something like the crazed Muslims taking over this nation and killing ALL of those whom they hate and completely subjugating the rest ) will unify use as we once were.
Report him to the highest power you can, but leave out WHO you voted for.
Let’s face it. We’re Americans. We love to fight. So, no.
Document. Maintain your situational awareness. Watch yourself going to and fro and leaving the base. Know his license plate number.
I know Shmueli Boteach personally, and I will attest — he is off the wall. His heart is in the right place, but he needs to have his head examined.
He tends to contradict himself while talking at you. Unity of values — what values do these liberals have? They basically want total freedom from any moral or civic responsibility. They want to do their own thing and have everyone accommodate them.
Only in a faith-based culture can people have the same values. It may not have to be the exact same religion, but at least an acknowledgment of moral authority.
This is impossible with liberals, each of whom has created his/her/its (tranny) own mini-world that would put STAR WARS to shame.
I tell my family that whenever someone starts spouting off 'values' as if this is some worthy and admirable quest to devote oneself to, start walking away. It's not values we need, it's virtues. I love this quote by Archbishop Charles Chaput... "Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant; then it tries to silence good."
“Archbishop Charles Chaput... “Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant; then it tries to silence good.”
I love that guy. I wish DJT would start spending an hour a week with him.
“Is it religion? No. Not just yet.” Wrong. The correct answer is Yes, religion, the Christian religion where the Lord rises from the dead and renews the face of the earth, something that atheists reject.
The “division” between the millions of patriots who love American and the few crazies who love abortion is shallow. A few years of Trump and a few weeks away from Obama and Clinton will clean up the culture and chill out the crazies who just want to see cool fireworks on July 4th anyway.
That togetherness lasted less than 2 weeks and within a few months Hillary Rotten Clinton was shouting on the floor of the Senate that "Bush KNEW!".
Conspiracy theories about Jews, explosives, and remote control planes went on and on.
Bill Maher said the hijackers weren't cowards.
The feminazi marchers last weekend were united by a pro-Sharia Islamist who believed Saudi Arabia offered a better way for women than the USA.
If anything unites their position it is anti-Westernism, don’t bother debating or discussing issues with them. The outrage is the message.
We could have respectful and even productive disagreements if we held the same premises and were just arguing over conclusions. The problem is socialism and classical liberalism (aka American conservatism) are built on opposite premises, which makes compromise and mutual respect nearly impossible.
What’s really galling about the whole thing is that it never should have been this way. Socialism is an alien ideology that should never have been able to take root here. The Declaration is all about natural rights and the Constitution is about limited government. Combined they amount to a neon sign saying “No Socialism Here”. Yet here we are up to our gills in a struggle against friggin socialism.
>> Author: I am personally wounded by the deep divisions in our country,
I appreciate his sentiment.
Exactly right. He says that “values” rather than religion can unite Americans, and then he goes on to give a list of principles that are essentially religious.
I love you and miss you. Please come home. All is forgiven.
Thank you, dear. Have some coffee!
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