Here we are.\u00a0 The election is over and the winner is preparing to move into the White House.<\/p>\n

One half of the population labels the other half as uneducated, racist rednecks.<\/p>\n

One half of the population labels the other half as clueless, entitled whiners.<\/p>\n

Let’s dry our blue tears and wipe the wide red grins off our faces and look at the big sobering picture as fellow countrymen who must either figure out how to live together- or watch the beautiful house we share burn down.\u00a0 As the central figure in the best-selling book of all time said, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”<\/p>\n

As a nation, we now have the opportunity to behave like rational adults, talk with one another, and find common ground- or we can fall apart, be flushed down the tubes of history, and be remembered as a noble, radical experiment in liberty and self-government that towered as a giant among the nations but couldn’t make it three hundred years.<\/p>\n

To my “blue” friends (and I have some), \u00a0you know that I cast my vote for Mr. Trump, (for president, not savior) and:<\/p>\n

I do not hate anybody<\/strong>.\u00a0 I earnestly desire that people (including me) see beyond race, ethnicity, or whatever labels we attach to ourselves and others, and love one another.\u00a0 I want everybody to live in a safe environment, have unlimited opportunity, and enjoy a full, prosperous, satisfying life.\u00a0 I want people to value others and appreciate viewpoints outside their own tiny box.\u00a0 I want people to treat others the way they themselves want to be treated.\u00a0 You may believe the state is the agent that will accomplish this goal, through coercion if necessary.\u00a0 I believe that our ponderous federal bureaucracy accomplishes\u00a0 little with efficiency, fairness, or success.\u00a0 Face to face relationships within the community- neighbors helping neighbors- through local faith-based and civic organizations- can be far more effective than Washington bureaucrats in solving the social ills of my town- and yours.\u00a0 Seizing more and more of some citizens’ hard-earned money and throwing it at a problem with little accountability from either the taker or the recipient is not working.\u00a0 We are in trouble.\u00a0 Something has to change if we are to live together in mutual respect, unity, and peace.<\/p>\n

I believe change in our attitudes toward others must come from the heart (not the government)- and the human heart is selfish and “desperately wicked.”\u00a0 I believe the agent of change is the transforming spiritual power of Jesus Messiah, and we are each equally guilty and equally redeemable before Him.\u00a0 It is to our great peril and loss that His word, His wisdom, and His standards are being systematically eliminated from our national institutions, conscience, and conversations, \u00a0even though we (sometimes reluctantly and often dishonestly) claim we are “one nation under God” and “In God We Trust.”\u00a0 \u00a0I know\u00a0 that my relationship with Jesus has changed me.\u00a0 <\/em>Anyone has the right to disagree, he can hold me in contempt if he wishes, but he does not have the right to interfere with the free exercise of my faith (which includes loving and praying for him).\u00a0 I want to keep this liberty.<\/p>\n

I am not a misogynist<\/strong>. \u00a0\u00a0I do, however, vehemently oppose the pet “women’s issue,” birth control through abortion.\u00a0 Slavery was a morally reprehensible institution that ran counter to the lofty ideals upon which our nation was founded.\u00a0 However- a hundred and sixty years ago, it was legal <\/em>and widely accepted <\/em>in\u00a0the United States, and therefore was granted not only legitimacy, but protection.\u00a0 Slavery stripped an entire group of people (non-whites) of their constitutional rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”\u00a0 Remember Dred Scott?\u00a0 In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that slave Scott was property, not a person protected\u00a0under the U.S. Constitution;<\/em> and control of his life and destiny was LEGALLY placed in the hands of his “owner.”\u00a0 We rightly decry this unjust ruling, while we<\/em> LEGALLY strip another group of people (the pre-born) of their constitutional right to life, placing the destiny of these boys and girls in the hands of the woman who carries the child inside her, as the “owner.”\u00a0 Abortion is legal, protected, widely accepted, but as in the case of Dred Scott, it’s dead wrong.\u00a0 We are glad people of conviction, courage, and compassion took a stand against injustice a hundred and sixty years ago.\u00a0 People of conviction, courage, and compassion may likewise act today -to come alongside and help women who are in difficult situations- but oppose and seek to end a morally reprehensible industry that profits by taking the life of a child and selling his\/her body parts.<\/p>\n

I am not violent<\/strong>.\u00a0 I have never been in a fight, or been a part of an unruly mob.\u00a0 I never willfully damaged anybody’s property.\u00a0 I believe in the rule of law.\u00a0 I have no desire to harm anyone in any way- but I own a gun and have been trained to responsibly operate it.\u00a0 I have the right to protect myself and my family if necessary.\u00a0 I want to keep that right.<\/p>\n

I am not uneducated<\/strong>.\u00a0 I earned a degree-with honors- from a respected private liberal arts university. I am widely read in history, literature, theology, political science, and economics- and less widely read but knowledgeable and conversant in a wide range of other academic and practical subjects.\u00a0 I want all<\/u> children to receive a challenging, exciting education that awakens curiosity, instills a lifetime love of learning , teaches them how to think (as opposed to what<\/em> to think), and prepares them to take care of their families, be good citizens, and make the world a better place.\u00a0 I want to see the free exchange of ideas and vigorous debate on college campuses.\u00a0 “Safe zones” where mollycoddled intellectual cowards can hide, stop up their ears, and shut off their minds disgust me.\u00a0 Handcuffing good teachers and making our nation’s educational goal to perform well on standardized tests infuriates me.\u00a0 I\u00a0 believe parents- not the Feds- should seize control of their children’s educations NOW and demand<\/u> choices.\u00a0 In education, one size does NOT fit all and “big education,” operating on a broken, antiquated model, is failing miserably.\u00a0 It’s past time for a change.<\/p>\n

I am more than a label and some of my opinions might be surprising.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I believe “the system” is broken and corrupt.<\/p>\n

I believe in hard work and personal responsibility.<\/p>\n

I believe police officers should be respected, paid well, and not shot dead in the streets.<\/p>\n

I want term limits and an end of lobbyists for special interests.\u00a0 I want congressional pay and benefits cut to the point it is a sacrifice to serve, and not an enrichment opportunity. \u00a0Partisanship over common sense and the common good is idiocy. \u00a0I do not want an entrenched ruling class that considers itself above the law.<\/p>\n

I am sick of bullies who won’t let me say “Merry Christmas” or “I think you are wrong about that.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

I believe climate change is real. \u00a0\u00a0I want clean energy. \u00a0I want stiff environmental protection regulations and crippling penalties for entities that pollute our land, water, and air.\u00a0 \u00a0I want mandatory recycling in every state.<\/p>\n

I welcome immigrants who come into our great country legally in search of a better life.\u00a0 It is not unreasonable to require that persons wishing to immigrate love America and Americans and come to contribute, not to destroy.\u00a0 Our language is English.\u00a0 Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics.\u00a0 We must enforce immigration law.<\/p>\n

I think a strong military is the best deterrent to global threats.<\/p>\n

I believe that spending more money does not necessarily produce better results and the government has a responsibility to balance the budget.\u00a0 Our national debt is terrifying and leaders need to lead to get it under control.<\/p>\n

I think the first step in solving the healthcare crisis is to address the fact that many Americans are sick because of poor nutrition, lazy exercise habits, and stress.\u00a0 We eat and drink toxic processed waste, sit all day, and take pills to mask our symptoms. People have to wake up, educate themselves, make disciplined physical, mental, and spiritual changes, and get healthy.\u00a0\u00a0 Healthcare costs would plummet and we would be happier people.<\/p>\n

I want liberty and justice for all.<\/p>\n

We disagree? \u00a0Well, we are stuck with each other, so what do we do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We rise to the challenge, with grace.<\/p>\n

In the days of their power, before they were outnumbered and driven from their lands by hostile immigrants with whom they tried to get along, Cherokee leaders conducted councils with wisdom and thoughtfulness.\u00a0 Chiefs and elders sat together around the fire, stated a problem, and thought about it.\u00a0 Then, as one elder spoke, the others listened attentively, without interrupting or arguing.\u00a0 Following a lengthy period of silence to consider the ideas, the next leader took his turn and made his point.\u00a0 I have always admired the Cherokee.\u00a0 Therefore, I suggest, as a start, instead of labeling, demonizing or dismissing those with a different opinion- what would happen if every one of us found a friend, co-worker, colleague, or neighbor from the “other side”- invited them over for dinner- and engaged in a mutually respectful exchange of ideas?\u00a0 What if the goal was not to proselytize, but to understand?\u00a0 Not to argue, but to find points of agreement?\u00a0 There would have to be ground rules, like no yelling, insults, snarky quips, or fisticuffs.\u00a0 Afterward, what if we went with our friend out into our community to address a problem we both see?\u00a0 Don’t have (or want) a friend from “the other side?”\u00a0 Sadly, you might be that self-righteous ideologue who is causing our problems.\u00a0 Better go find one- there are patriotic, good-hearted, smart, can-do people out there, both red and blue.\u00a0 Mostly red.\u00a0 (Just kidding).\u00a0 We are all Americans.<\/p>\n

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Here we are.\u00a0 The election is over and the winner is preparing to move into the White House. One half of the population labels the other half as uneducated, racist rednecks. One half of the population labels the other half as clueless, entitled whiners. Let’s dry our blue tears and wipe the wide red grins … Continue reading Here We Are…My (only) Comments on the Election<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trailtalk"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alluphill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alluphill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alluphill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alluphill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alluphill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=393"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.alluphill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":400,"href":"https:\/\/www.alluphill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393\/revisions\/400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alluphill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alluphill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alluphill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}