It seems that respectful political discourse is virtually extinct. That’s sad because one of the cornerstones of our great American experiment was the ability to debate topics without fear for your life. Those days are gone. Yes, in days past sometimes the debate got out of control. Today, name the issue and if you are on the “wrong” side you are subjected to ridicule, public humiliation and character assassination and in some cases personal risk.
If you don’t think this is the case then consider these topics and bring them up with someone who does not share your position. Marriage definitions, abortion, religious freedom, equal taxation, race relations. The list goes on and on. Find yourself on the politically incorrect side of these issues and you will be labeled, stereotyped and worse. Perhaps the saddest part of this: We will never resolve some fundamental issues in our society if we cannot deal with the facts. Gun control is a great example of this. There are very real facts around guns, gun violence and gun safety, but we will continue to get stuck in the mud and employ useless and politically correct “solutions” that will do absolutely nothing to solve the underlying issue. This points to a certain level of maturity in this country that has been eroding, perhaps due to the failure of our education system, reclusion of our family responsibilities for our children and plain old vanity. No amount of legislation is going to fix that. When we run to government to “fix” our problems we become the problem.
Don Thompson
Lake Stevens
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