Not that anyone cares, should care, but on this Veteran’s
Day, I break my silence on this cluster(insert expletive of your choosing) of a
presidential election.
A few months back, a long-time and respected friend
mockingly announced to another lunch partner, “Stu is a Dem-o-crat.”
Well, a couple of things.
I have been, where possible, a registered independent, and have voted
for Republican, Democratic, Independent, and even Libertarian candidates as I
saw fit. Good ideas have come from
and/or been blocked by the left and the right.
So despite the intended insult, it is simply not so.
That said, I reject the statement as the insult that was
intended. The battlefields of this
planet run deep and red with the blood of Democrats, Republicans, Independents,
and the disinterested in politics. Selfless and self-serving, righteous and amoral, lazy and industrious, courageous and cowardly politicians come
from all sides of the political spectrum as well.
So cast labels as you will, one man’s insult
is another’s badge of honor. Even if my
friends intended slur was true, I would not take it as a slur.
“Pick a side!” one might say. I have picked a side. The side of demonstrable facts, of common decency
as I see it, of the freedom of personal choice, of compassion, and most of all
of the side of “I know that I don’t know every (insert expletive of your choice) thing”.
So, if you today are on the spectrum between smug and giddy
to despondent and angry, keep in mind that ultimately we are all on the same
side. Keep in mind that “your side”
doesn’t have all the (insert expletive of your choice) answers and doesn’t know
every (insert expletive of your choice) thing. If you ask me (and you didn't), maturity and common sense so require.
As the Zen Master said, “We’ll see.”
