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Dear Conservative Friends

Dear Conservative Friends,

I’m torn. Some of you I have known for years. Some of you are close friends, people I love and admire and care about. So it makes it difficult for me to understand your politics sometimes and your devotion to president Trump, your tolerance of his divisive partisanship, your silence regarding his often hurtful comments, and your acceptance of his merry clan of White House associates and Congressional chums many of whom are clearly corrupt and many others who seem hell bent on making America one race (white of course), one religion (Fundamentalist Christian), one economy (for the wealthy), one issue (the 2nd Amendment), and one truth (theirs).

Now, I’m sure you can turn that all around and say something similar to me about Democrats or liberals or others you strenuously disagree with or dislike. Understood.

But I’m honestly concerned about the way things seem to be going in the country. Yes, liberals and moderates have often been lousy at governing, too. They have often been assholes—elitist, snobbish, pretentious, and just as greedy as the other party. They talk nicer, but, it’s actions that matter. And for the last several years nice talk got us nowhere.

They lost me when they sabotaged Bernie Sanders and cheated their way to their own revered candidate that they were always going to go up against Trump with no matter what. They were stunned, shocked when she lost and still haven’t figured out the clear and obvious reasons why. I haven’t the interest to tell them anymore.

So, I’m saying to you, I do at least understand why you never ever want to see a Democrat in the White House.

For myself, I think there may be some good ones out there, and if they ever get respected enough by their own party to be fully supported, then I might join them again. I also believe there are talented and rational Republicans out there, somewhere, men and women with integrity and  values, and they, too, need to be supported. 

I also understand that you have certain historical issues you want to hold on to. I appreciate that. I suspect, too, that many of you worry that we white people are becoming a minority, which we are, and that people of color may take over the country soon and then where will we be?

Well, hopefully, we won’t be where we put them for the last 200 years in this country. Under our feet. Kept out of any hope of economic fairness or freedom. Having their culture disparaged. Being marginalized because of their color. Relegating them to a cruel otherness. I know that may be annoying, but indulge me and at least consider those things. They are real. They did and do happen.

I have a feeling when they have control, and they ultimately will, minorities will be much better to us than we have ever been to them. Just my opinion.

Novelist Robert Heinlein, who was a terrific writer and wisely understood human nature, once wrote, “The capacity of the human mind for swallowing nonsense and spewing it forth in violent and repressive action has never yet been plumbed.”

We may be getting close to proving him wrong.

Facebook and Twitter have in some ways become social media garbage cans filled with the rotting refuse of our national divisions and personal offenses. Both platforms tempt us to hold nothing back, to write things we would never say to another person’s face. I’m guilty. And it shames me.

It’s one thing to defend your point of view with an intelligent or at least thoughtful response. It’s something else to just unload and attack. Which is too often the response of social media.

I don’t have any solutions. I had some things I thought might keep us from offending and hurting each other. But in the end, they didn’t. The divisions seem too deep. The anger too close to the surface.

But I want to keep trying, my conservative friends. Let’s meet for a drink and be nice to each other. And please, think about what is really happening to people, from all perspectives, here and around the world because of our American politics and our destructive social divisions. It’s not pretty. And I’m afraid, without new leadership from somewhere non-partisan, it will only get worse.

Be well,

Tim
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