On Uniting as a Nation

Last week was stressful and heartbreaking. With deadly bombings and industrial accidents, it seemed an endless barrage of horrible news until Friday came around.  The very kind of week that could bring a fractured nation together.  Just like after September 11, 2001, when, for a time at least, America's resolve and will was united and unshakeable.

At least, in theory.

It seems as though we live in an era where such unity is impossible.  This sad reality once again held true in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing.  It started with the rampant media speculation that the attack was related to "right-wing terror" (whatever that is; evidence of such terrorism is scant).  Leftists in the media and elsewhere wished the suspect to be white and on the right.  A Christian, a Tea Partier, a conservative of any sort; that's what they wanted.  Well, they got the white part of their wish, at least.

Then, the disunity was buoyed by President Obama's petulant and whiny Rose Garden appearance on Wednesday, immediately after the failure of gun control legislation in the senate.  He accused his political opponents of desiring the deaths of innocents and children simply for not backing his proposals.  Apparently, taking symbolic and useless legislative action that only hampers the law-abiding is the only way not to be an accessory to murder.

You'll have to forgive me if I am not particularly open to unity right now.

Of course, this all boils down to the mentality the left approaches the right with.

To us, they are wrong.

To them, we are evil.

Unity is rather difficult when people automatically assume one is a heartless, child-killing terrorist.

And yes, I do blame the left, president and all, for this disunity.  Call me biased, but speaking for myself, I would be more than willing to unite on those things on which I agree with the left.  They may be few, but solidarity in the face of terrorism is most certainly one.

But then the left demonizes and defames.  It is leftism that pushes others away, by turning their opponents into enemies, into the "other."  People not to be touched or associated with.  Of course, there are some on the right who do the same to the left.  However, how many "mainstream" conservatives do this compared to "mainstream" liberals?

Speaking from personal experience, I can say I rarely shun and cut ties with people I befriend simply for their personal and moral views, even when I have found those views to be reprehensible.  However, I have had two friends in the past three weeks shun and slander me (out of the public eye, for which I am grateful) for articles I've recently written or things I've recently said.  And I would not have treated them the same.

The roots of the disunity in this country is the left.  One may deny it or try to pass it off on both sides.  However, when one side consistently treats the other as degenerate and evil, it brings the reality into much clearer light.

How much longer can a nation stand once pitted against itself?