The Public Debate- A Call for Civility

The public debate--Like the bulletspray of a machine gun We all need to pray for peace, hard. Especially in this election season where different views take on the lack of civility of a barroom brawl or four year olds bickering over the same toy, tugging and pulling until it breaks. Civility, civility, civility. Cardinals like McCarrick have called for it over and over again. There was a shooting at the Family Research Council. Who would want to shoot them-those nice family guys. Turns out someone's switch was flipped and they tried to go postal on the nice family guys getting as far as their security guard. Violence is what happens when people's discourse takes on a bulls eye -lets win and get them at all costs -mentality. I am reminded again of the bravest of Congressional souls who battled back from a shot to the head in Arizona after some disgruntled nut job felt his only solution was going postal in a parking lot. One prominent Republican politician was cited as having bulls eyes on various politicians on her website with a 'lock and load' bravado- as if that display of machismo was either necessary or cute for a woman politician. Disgusting. There are guys so out there they can actually speak about 'legitimate rape' in distinguishing why there should be no rape exception to abortion. Even Ann Coulter finds that stunningly ignorant. And they wonder why Democrats think there might be a 'war on women' sub-textually going on. Other name calling, like 'unpatriotic' or 'treasonous' (pick any title of a Coulter book) becomes slanderously uncivil and gives the reader in their minds justification for escalated verbal violence, to counter the hate-filed rhetoric of the other side. The downside of free speech guarantees is that vilest of verbal vomit can pass as political discourse. Next week the conventions take off. And the sarcasm and smirking mockery will escalate to an art form as the lowest common denominator of bile and vile epithets short of four letter words will be flung with bravado about the other side- unless we all pledge to rise above it. We are all Americans trying to find the best way forward for all, not just a privileged few. Not just the few who have been blessed and don't want to share, not just the few who look down on those less blessed- but ALL. There are some stark realities that the body politic has to grasp about each other. Romney is not a common man for the common man and he is a Mormon Bishop who finances hundreds of millions of dollars of mormon enterprises with the TAX DEDUCTIONS in contributions he generates. Deal with it. He apparently has found an ally in the segment of society that lives off Tax Deductions in religious contributions so a prominent Cardinal is giving a blessing and prayer at the Republican Convention. They agree on the 'religious liberty' of not having to pay for things the rest of the country thinks are beneficial to public health. By labeling it 'religious liberty' everyone who disagrees must not like God. There go the Republicans again trying to be the 'God Party.' They are against abortion, even in 'legitimate rape' situations, hence the other side must all be 'baby killers.' Nevermind that their running mate Ryan has been assailed by Jesuits far and wide for constructing a budget deemed directly harmful to the poor counter to scriptural mandates to take care of them. He's Catholic- lets see if we can recapture the lost Catholic vote Biden took. Lets see if we can also get loose canons and diaharrea mouths like Trump to call our Vice President names. Like any religious zealots, people who think they are on God's side feel free to blast the infidels into oblivion with verbal bombast, ridicule and contempt disguised as patriotism. Practical nuanced arguments are overtaken with arrogance and disdain by people wholly ignorant of the natural repercussions of their reckless actions. People feel justified in labeling people lowlifes and spreading slander to not have to hear their arguments. It becomes all about who controls the purse, whose money will flow where, who gets the power of wealth of the giant budget called the national treasury and who can order around the Joint Chiefs of Staff in foreign lands. The Conventions are a circus and there are the freak acts. This next week a cautioning is due: Keep the rhetoric civil, respectful, about issues, no bulls eyes, no ridicule snottiness, no inciting a riot. Republicans are widely predicted to lose, and if they win its by stealing another election (something they are expert at) so remember who you are going to have to answer to later.