TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

The political division we are experiencing here in the United States between liberals and conservatives is greater than any division we have experienced in this country since the Civil War. This division seems to get wider and more acrimonious every day. A lot of people are behaving badly and it is destabilizing our society here at home and undermining our image and relationships abroad. There is no end in sight and, with a new national election cycle just getting started, it seems clear it will get much worse before it gets any better, if it ever does get better.

The tragedy of this situation is that there is really no legitimate reason for this division because the rank and file on the political left and the rank and file on the political right really want the same thing – freedom. The difference is the left believes the 1st Amendment – the freedom of religion, speech, assembly and the press – is what protects their freedom and the right believes the 2nd Amendment – the right to bear arms – is what protects their freedom. It’s the age old debate about which is more powerful, the pen or the sword. Of course, in the 21st Century the word processing app has replaced the pen and the gun has replaced the sword, but the argument is the same. On an international level the debate is between diplomacy and military force.

I don’t trust the leaders on either side. Most of them are really only interested in their own personal wealth and power. And neither side trusts the government to serve their best interests. There are generous and compassionate people and greedy and bigoted people on the fringes of both sides. And everyone on both sides is scared of losing what they have. But, when you cut through the rhetoric and hyperbole, the political left and the political right are two sides of the same coin and that coin is freedom.

In my opinion both sides are right. The 1st and the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution are equally important when it comes to protecting our freedom. In fact, everything in the Constitution and its Amendments is important when it comes to protecting our freedom. But, there are some among us who don’t believe in the Constitution or in the values or principles it represents. They don’t believe we are all equal and “endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". They believe that because of the color of their skin, their religious believes (even though they don’t practice what they preach), their gender or sexual orientation, or the amount of money they have, they are superior to everyone else and entitled to have more than and rule over the rest of us. They are what threaten our freedom. They are our true enemy.

We are getting closer and closer every day to losing what we cherish most – our freedom. And when I say we I am talking about “snowflake” liberals AND “gun loving” conservatives. If we don’t set aside our differences and unite behind the one thing both sides want more than anything else – our freedom – we are going to find ourselves set back a hundred years struggling to survive under the thumb of a small group of Robber Barons who won’t stop taking until they have everything and we have nothing – no rights, no future and no freedom.

I saw this coming two years ago and talked about it in a post I put up on this blog on July 17, 2017 titled When Was Again? A lot of people thought I was being an alarmist at the time. Now, well respected liberal and conservative pundits are saying the exact same thing and using the exact same language I used then. This is no longer speculation. It is inevitable and right around the corner if we don’t unite and stop it – NOW.

Check out my earlier post at –

https://behavingbadlytheblog.blogspot.com/2017/07/when-was-again_17.html