A house divided

Some would like our government to be divided - in chaos, angry, fighting - in a constant state of emergency.  This is done in the name of change.  Of anti-Americanism.  Of division and hate.  We see it in the streets of Portland and elsewhere, and some people are cheering.  Where do WE want our country and CITY to go now.  

 How do we put the city back together?  

Municipal elections are supposed to be nonpartisan to avoid political and social divisions within a city, but with this election, what was once only assumed, has been confirmed:  An audacious Progressive group staged an effort to garner a majority takeover of the Lake Oswego City Council.  They received help from the Democratic Party structure.  Partisanship is a way for one group to dominate others with one set of ideas - not a charitable or thoughtful way of working with others or representing people who don't agree.  You can't be more divisive than that.  Or more controlling and potentially corrupt.   

HOWEVER -- If all we do is be "civil" to one another and "agree to disagree," we are not really listening to one another, and cannot come together.  

Here is an article from Capital Research Center, a Conservative organization with a message that is bi-partisan - good for everyone to read and take to heart.  

Dear Progressives: Let’s End the Divide and Start Talking Again

By Jake Klein, November 9, 2016

Ultimately, we can never unite unless conservatives and progressives start talking again. The message from Clinton supporters in this aftermath is that they cannot understand how Trump supporters came to their views. This needs to change. Because of this vacuum in knowledge, motivations for Trump supporters have been fabricated or exaggerated.

Going forward, let’s recognize that goodwill. Let’s start making the most charitable interpretation of our opponent’s intentions we can imagine. Let’s start listening to what the other side has to say: really listening and discussing, not hearing and disputing. That means making an active effort to engage with opinions opposed to your own. That’s the only way we can bring our two nations back into one and ensure 240 more years.

Click on link for the whole article.