Soap Box

A lot is said about resistance these days. Resistance denotes something that goes beyond political discourse and disagreements, it denotes belligerence, intractability, unwillingness to compromise, a militant demeanor willing to go outside the lines of decency and lawfulness.

Resistance is what the French and other European countries practiced during Nazi occupation, a justifiable and noble posture to take, considering that their countries were occupied by an evil and overwhelming force that could only be bitten off in small clandestine chunks in whatever covert actions they were able to mount.

Of course, we're only speaking semantics now and whether it�s called resistance or loyal opposition, is really not as much of a point as is the vitriol and hatred that fuels it.

When you cast your ballot against, speak against, write against or otherwise work against a candidate or a party, that is political dissent, and, if so desired, could be called resistance.

But when a prominent show business personality holds up a replica of the bloody severed head of a sitting president, or a major corporate sponsored Shakespeare company perverts a four-hundred-year-old play to plot and carry out the multiple stabbing of a sitting president, that is hate.

When you wheel and deal and pull out all the political stops to achieve goals you consider beneficial to the nation, that's politics as usual.

But when you're willing to suspend the nation's business and indefinitely delay programs that are desperately needed for the welfare of the country just to keep a president from having a win, that's hate.

Hate is a many headed monster, fickle and deceptive, just as apt to turn on its instigator.

There are many old and unturned stones that reflect badly on both major political parties in this nation, and, if these numerous investigations persist, last long enough and dig deep enough, there could well be a lot of garbage slung on both sides of the aisle.

Be that as it might, the current atmosphere in this nation is unsustainable and can have deadly effects, as we saw take place in Virginia, when a nut with a gun went hunting for Republicans to shoot.

Now, what motivated him, what encouraged him, what made him feel justified in taking the lives of those he disagreed with?

How many more kooks are hiding in the bushes, just waiting until some words or events set them off and they go on a rampage? How many springs are close to snapping, how many malcontents standing on the edge of the precipice just waiting for an excuse to jump off?

It has been proven that both sides, right and left, conservative and liberal have their own oddballs and cliff hangers.

Would it have made a difference if that had been Democrats that were attacked in Virginia the other day?

No, it would not have, nor would the rhetoric, coercion or whatever pushed the shooter over the edge have been any less harmful, regardless of what political direction it came from.

The point is the rhetoric itself, not which direction it comes from, the attitude of take down the other side if it kills us all and destroys America in the bargain.

I know we've heard that our nation is divided until it's coming out of our pores, but this scorched earth, last man standing scenario cannot persist.

No political party and no individual is more important than the country.

It�s time to put the knives away, to cool the rhetoric, let the investigations go forth and if guilt is found, let the guilty be prosecuted and punished.

But in the meantime, there is a nation to run and Capitol Hill is crawling around in the garbage trying to find another accusation or juicy piece of innuendo, so they can get 15 seconds of face time on CNN.

Enough!

What do you think?

Pray for our troops, our police and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

� Charlie Daniels

PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU POST

Feel free to comment on Charlie's soapboxes, but please refrain from profanity and anonymous posts are not allowed, we need a name and you MUST provide a valid email address. If you provide an email address, but leave the name as "Anonymous" we will pick a name for you based on your email address. No one other than website administrators will see your email address, not other posters. If you post without a valid email address, your comment (whether positive or negative) will be deleted. � TeamCDB