Breach the Divide
Jan. 9th, 2011 10:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vivienA high school friend of mine who is a career army officer and currently stationed overseas wrote something earlier today that I thought was important to share. He lives in Tuscon. Congresswoman Giffords is his representative. He said anyone could repost, so I am reposting.
Wow. It looks like Gabby Giffords will likely survive! After a bullet went through her head. Tough lady... Unfortunately, six others are gone. One of them a 9 year-old girl whose mom brought her out to learn about democracy.
It seems very clear to me that the greatest single threat to our country is the bitter polarization of politics, and extreme social positions (right and left) that fuel a guy with mental problems to do something like this!
This happened a couple miles from my house. My 9 year-old would likely have been there had we been in town. Is this because I am a Giffords supporter? No. I am a registered Republican, with more fiscally conservative views than Ms Giffords. But I am a rabid supporter of the system that put her in office, and proud defender of the constitution that the system is based on. I am an avid shooter, gun dealer, and gunsmith. I am a lifetime member of the NRA.
My wife is a Democrat, and strong political supporter of Ms. Giffords. Had she been in Tucson, she would likely have been standing in that group that took fire.
But she wasn't. She was in Oregon, standing on my behalf (I'm deployed again) while my former Infantry Platoon received the Presidential Unit Citation for the Battle of Fallujah in 2004. She also flew to Oregon for the funeral of every soldier killed during that deployment.
Of course she's a hero to me.
The point is: THERE IS ALWAYS MIDDLE GROUND.
It's ok to be a non-religious, pro-choice, fiscally conservative Republican.
It's ok to be a strong pro-defense, deeply-religious Democrat
It's ok to accept others without threat.
It's ok to be any combination you can think of.
It's ok if not everyone agrees with you.
Please help me put my country together again.
In our comment string, he added "I'm no 'peace-nik' hippie with unrealistic Utopian ideals, but this in-fighting is just sick." I'm glad he and I stayed friends; he's good people, even if we might disagree on some politics. It's this kind of reaching out that needs to happen on both/all sides of the political spectrum. Do unto others... it's such a simple lesson.
I have to hope something good can and will come out of this. I have to, because if I don't, I won't do well at all.
Wow. It looks like Gabby Giffords will likely survive! After a bullet went through her head. Tough lady... Unfortunately, six others are gone. One of them a 9 year-old girl whose mom brought her out to learn about democracy.
It seems very clear to me that the greatest single threat to our country is the bitter polarization of politics, and extreme social positions (right and left) that fuel a guy with mental problems to do something like this!
This happened a couple miles from my house. My 9 year-old would likely have been there had we been in town. Is this because I am a Giffords supporter? No. I am a registered Republican, with more fiscally conservative views than Ms Giffords. But I am a rabid supporter of the system that put her in office, and proud defender of the constitution that the system is based on. I am an avid shooter, gun dealer, and gunsmith. I am a lifetime member of the NRA.
My wife is a Democrat, and strong political supporter of Ms. Giffords. Had she been in Tucson, she would likely have been standing in that group that took fire.
But she wasn't. She was in Oregon, standing on my behalf (I'm deployed again) while my former Infantry Platoon received the Presidential Unit Citation for the Battle of Fallujah in 2004. She also flew to Oregon for the funeral of every soldier killed during that deployment.
Of course she's a hero to me.
The point is: THERE IS ALWAYS MIDDLE GROUND.
It's ok to be a non-religious, pro-choice, fiscally conservative Republican.
It's ok to be a strong pro-defense, deeply-religious Democrat
It's ok to accept others without threat.
It's ok to be any combination you can think of.
It's ok if not everyone agrees with you.
Please help me put my country together again.
In our comment string, he added "I'm no 'peace-nik' hippie with unrealistic Utopian ideals, but this in-fighting is just sick." I'm glad he and I stayed friends; he's good people, even if we might disagree on some politics. It's this kind of reaching out that needs to happen on both/all sides of the political spectrum. Do unto others... it's such a simple lesson.
I have to hope something good can and will come out of this. I have to, because if I don't, I won't do well at all.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 05:24 pm (UTC)That's fine! He wants this, and other messages like this, to be heard loud and clear.