Bridging the political divide in America

I have a problem.   I have lost the ability to negotiate with the other side. I can no longer engage in personal relationships or philosophical discussions with Bush voters or war supporters.   Where are you at?  Take the poll.  

I've been thinking about how the desire for peace is meant to bridge ideological gaps between people, but how difficult it is to embrace when your children are being killed. I think that's why I have lost all willingness to deal with the Bush voters and war supporters right now, because I feel responsible for the children of the world, and these people are murdering them. Taking their lives, their health, their future and their money. I feel for the little people of the world, who aren't old enough to understand the artificiality of national borders, the Enron scandal, or the Social Security ripoffs, who can't comprehend more about war than the fact that everyone around them is submerged in violence and fear. It's just unacceptable.

At first (as long as it's not your children being murdered) you try to talk about it. Prosecute it, you know. Examine the rationale of both sides, try your best through diplomatic channels of democracy and justice to try to correct the wrongs. To fight with words. But each person reaches a point where the crimes exceed the capacity of the sytem that is meant to contain them, and the people rise up, and take up action or arms against the oppressors. It's a classic historical pattern.

I and many others have reached that point with the Bush administration, and the invasion of Iraq, and I think you could easily see over a million people in the streets of New York during the RNC. Once you pick up the sword, however, it's hard to go back to philosophy. Now that I have finally become mad enough to fight, how do I entertain polite discourse with the people who want to keep killing the children, stealing the money, and practicing white supremacy and nuclear proliferation? It's a snake and tail.

The answer may be that some people need to get really angry, and some people need to stay at the table. I don't think that I'm going to be sitting back down for quite a while. Someone else needs to do that, and I apologize in theory to the people who are offended that I do not want to entertain their opinions on the war or the president. In practice, however, I consider them enemies of civilisation and compassion, and I don't want to be near them.

What I've realized from my own reaction is that even in reasonable people, the cycle of violence can negate the concept of peace. For a time. But eventually all people of reason are ready to negotiate. The key to peace has got to be a break from war. Five years should do it. Elect John Kerry, who wants to end war, and fire George Bush, who wants to start many more. As soon as possible.