Aw, go ahead and let the screen door hit them. It's probably the closest thing they'll ever get to the traditional dope slap they so richly deserve.

Well, I was really trying to be sensitive to the screen door, y'know?

Nicely put. The extremers both ways leave a lot to be desired and should take the screen door in the butt. In between are many patriotic, country-loving, well-wishing Americans, some Republican and some Democrat. The only way to please both at the same time is to come up with some kind of Republicrat or Demoblican.

" I don't believe that I actually realized how this was all weighing on me, mentally and spiritually."

I do!

I've been absolutely petrified of the thought of a rabidly anti-Second Amendment president like Kerry. There are "racial" one issue voters, "evironment" one issue voters, "right to life" one issue voters, I'm no different.

I genuinely do understand how some people can say they "sincerely love America" and then go about trying to erode and eradicate nearly everything it stands for.

Do they "love" America? Sure they do. They love their version of America, which is something directly in opposition with the America envisioned by its Founders. They love a socialist America politically integrated with and no different than most of Europe. They love an America stripped of most of its original freedoms and replaced with other "freedoms" of an entirely different sort.

Personally, I'm with CG Hill on the opposition. There is such a thing as being too charitable to one's enemies, political or otherwise. I know, I know, it's called "Christian" charity for a reason. I'll chalk it up as one of my many, many failings.

This afternoon, I enjoyed giving a big toothy grin and a neighborly wave to my neighbor with the enormous Kerry-Edwards sign on his lawn. Figured I'd do my part to help the post-election "healing process". *tries to look sincere*

I especially enjoyed the furious scowl and the gesture he answered with. So much for "reaching across the aisle" and reducing the divisiveness in this country. John Kerry said, "There are no losers in American politics." Right. Just ask my neighbor.

And best of all, I enjoy knowing that Michael Mo0re is sitting around stuffing his scruffy face with comfort food, sulking and fuming. Mo0re with all his lies, his fraudulent "documentaries," his genuine hatred for this country and all it stands for.

He can't gloat about "the popular vote" or the "electoral vote" or even the "Florida vote" because Bush took every last one of them.

Thanksgiving is coming up and this year I've got a lot to be thankful for. Hmmm... maybe I can invite Michael Mo0re.

Hey Mike! Free food!

Mr. Freen, we can afford to be charitable in victory, but it's not a requirement.

A lot depends on one's perceived sincerity. I believed John Kerry's concession speech; it was a little too long, but it came from the place I wanted to hear from.

Contrariwise, John Edwards was graceless and gauche, and I can't wait to see him on another ticket so I can vote against him again.

Contrariwise, John Edwards was graceless and gauche, and I can't wait to see him on another ticket so I can vote against him again.

As much as I long for your happiness, Charles, I suspect that you'll never again have the chance to vote against Johnny E. I just don't see him as a viable candidate for any future national office.

Eric, I think your concern over, "I don't know what the answer is to building unity ..." is a valid one. But judging by comments like, "don't let the screen door hit you on your way out to Canada ..." and the gleeful responses that particular remark generated, leads me to think a lot of us might not have the answer ... and least not at the moment.

It's the reference to "Canada" that got me to thinking there might be an answer out there, somewhere. But I wonder if any of us have the nerve to even go looking for it, let alone embrace it.

I met a man, once, who may have found the answer. He was an old sergeant major, a career Marine who put thirty years of service in the Corps - including Korea and two tours in Vietnam.

I don't know if many of your readers out there are truly old enough to really remember the Vietnam era, but it was a divisive time in our country, with some people heading to Vietnam, and others heading to Canada.

Now, here's this old boy nearing the end of his service, and one of his last postings is in upstate New York. He was a 'recruiter' of sorts, contacting those who had fled to Canada to avoid the draft, and finding the means for them to return to the United States and fulfill their service to their country in a manner that did not conflict with their conscientious objections.

I don't know for certain what he felt deep down about it. But he followed his orders, did his job well, and eventually was able to reunite a number of young men with their families, with the lives they had left behind, and - perhaps most important of all - with their country.

A loooooong post, I realize, and I appreciate the patience of those who read it.

I don't presume - as many of your readers might - to have all the answers. But I'm going to keep looking. That old boy taught me that the answers to difficult answers are out there ...

... I only hope I have the courage - as he did - to accept and embrace those answers should I ever find them.

Jeff, you've injected a bit of serious introspection into this discussion...now, cut it out! ;-)

To me, the beginning of the answer rests somewhere in this quote which has been attributed to every theologian in history, but which I think properly goes to St. Augustine: "unity in the essential; charity in the non-essential." The obvious hurdle is how to differentiate the two. To some, same-gender unions are "essential"; to others, the war on terrorism is the only essential. How do you bridge that gap?

Perhaps just acknowledging the question is a good start.

But, even at that, there are lines in the sand that should not be crossed, for any purpose. Those who choose to cross those lines...drawn well before our time by our founding fathers, not something that Rove or McAuliffe just came up with...can rightly be viewed as traitors or hate-mongerers. Those are the people who would improve our country's chances of flourishing by their absence. There aren't that many of them, but they gave up on our country long before we gave up on them.

Well, as Mr Jagger once observed, "You can't always get what you want."

Fortunately, the possibility of getting what you need still exists.

Eric, thanks so much for the birthday wishes! It was amazing to spend that day working at the polling place. I had no time to think about getting a year older. The voter turnout was unbelievable!