American Consequences - November 2019

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

A well-known saying is attributed to the Spanish mystic and Carmelite nun St. Teresa of Ávila (1515- 1582): “There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers.” Likewise – let us hope to heaven – there are more smiles spread by things we had prayed would never happen... And certainly, if we’re people of conscience and faith, we prayed that American politics wouldn’t become as bad as they are at the moment. But bad politics do have a few good aspects (or such is my fervent wish in this otherwise politically bleak Thanksgiving season). First, let us be thankful that, in the matter of our domestic politics, we are a bitterly divided nation. This sounds like an odd thing to say. But highly polarized partisanship about internal political issues is, in fact, a kind of luxury. It shows that America is blessed with not being under grave external threat. When the U.S. is under grave external threat, Americans unite in a jiffy – the way we did after Pearl Harbor or 9/11. This unity is an awesome thing to behold. Also, it’s a “shock and awesome” thing to behold if you’re an enemy of America. If you’re someone who’s caused this grave external threat, we’re going to come and get you whether you’re in Berlin, Tokyo, Abbottabad, or a hole in the ground in Idlib, Syria.

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But when America is not under grave external threat, we Americans get to go back to indulging ourselves – in a wild extravagance of bickering with each other, the way we’ve been doing since 1776. Of course, this internal political strife can get out of hand... It did during the Civil War. However, as heated as America’s arguments may be at the moment, 2019 is not 1861. Fort Sumter is not taking any incoming fire. Our political battles are all smoke and no lethal fire. Except among a few fringe lunatics, our weapons are just TV shows and other such media pie fights. And the projectiles don’t land with deadly effect – they land with a stupid splat like Rachel Maddow and Sean Hannity. A second thing to be thankful for is that bad politics are a healthy reminder that politics are bad. Actually, being a “good” politician specifically requires committing every single one of the Seven Deadly Sins. “ Let us be thankful that, in the matter of our domestic politics, we are a bitterly divided nation. This sounds like an odd thing to say. But highly polarized partisanship about internal political issues is, in fact, a kind of luxury.

American Consequences

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