A Plea to my Former Friends (and my Republican Brother)

I’m sorry that you have invested your ideals and passions in a hopeless case. The standard bearer for your most cherished beliefs has been exposed as a fraud, a criminal and a laughably incompetent one at that. George Bush has driven a bitter wedge between the well intentioned people of our country and now it is clear that he himself has become that wedge.

You probably had never heard of the Project for a New American Century when you cast your vote and your lot with him. You probably accepted the prayerful public countenance of the pious president at face value even as he flipped off a nation in private. I’m sorry if you took our outrage against his arranged presidency personally. We saw something sinister and cynical in 2000 that most of the people who share your values were unwilling to admit until the summer of 2005 or even later. Sadly, but not surprisingly, your redeemer president was too good to be true.

The political demise of this hapless pretender is now accelerating at an alarming rate. He is toast, soon to be shameful history, but let’s not blow a good thing over a fake president who almost got away with it. We’re all in this together, for the sake of our kids and the kids they will courageously bring into the world. This guy is an incurious lightweight who isn’t worth the sorrowful discord he has sown.

This “uniter not a divider” pitted family against family, faith against faith and race against race to ensure that the power he secured for his sponsors was almost absolute. The blow to our reputation as a champion of peace and justice, the plundering of our treasury and even the waste of our valiant children in a senseless war of his choice pale in comparison to the tragic loss of our sense of ourselves. We are in danger of losing the American sense of self value that dared us to defeat Hitler, soar into space and inspire the world with our indomitable spirit and our audacious ingenuity.

I am confident that some day we will all see our flag the same way again and that we will all travel the world with a sense of what we have accomplished and not what we have destroyed. Before that day, you must first meet the growing rest of us halfway and turn away from an imposter who would gladly leave us bankrupt both literally and morally. Let us embrace our brightest history and not let it be sacrificed to a shameful present. Our system allows us both to thrive although we might disagree. Please join us in ending a dark chapter where that idea has been at grave risk. I look forward to joining you in building an even better America when the world sorely needs one.

I'm not there, conciliatorily-speaking, right now.

Working at getting rid of the anger.

And, a fine essay!

:applause:

No more time for division... let's get to word re-building America.

Very well stated.

I am still incredibly bitter towards my family for giving me ultimatums in how I vote and what I believe. My choice was to bow down and comply or get the hell out of the family permanently. I chose the latter only to be told that none of them would ever forgive me under any conditions.

My family threw civility and tolerance out the window. It's nice to hear someone else has hope of reconciliation. I hope it goes well for you. As for me, I have no illusions that I am forever exiled.

Politics, religion and dysfunction led me to cut off family ties for awhile. I hope I never have to do it again, but some relationships are just plain toxic. It sounds like that's what you're facing.

Cutting off communications allowed me to set boundaries for the first time ever. Giving my mother the key to my apartment so she can take care of my animals while I'm away will be a great test to see if those boundaries--or any such boundaries so conceived and so dedicated--can long endure (apologies to Mr. Lincoln). She just told me she's going to come into my apartment while I'm gone tomorrow, but I do need the help and what she's bringing. Maybe I'll politely ask for the key once I'm back. That would probably be the prudent thing to do. Otherwise I won't have any privacy.

Bush drove a permanent wedge between me and family as well.

from this line: that day, you must first meet the growing rest of us halfway and turn away from an imposter who would gladly leave us bankrupt both literally and morally.

After "from an imposter" I would add... "and those in congress who work to push his policies". There is a lot of aiding and abetting that has been going on in Congress.

K'd & R'd!!!!

Well said, FightingIrish!