building bridges

Good, thoughtful writing about reaching out to your fellow man across the political divide, from Vantage Point, a new(?) weblog with wise author:

I was poking fun at the President...when the fellow standing...was offended and turned to go...I asked him for a word and apologized. I wasn’t apologizing for my beliefs, but for an unintended insult of his. Then he wanted to apologize, saying he was pretty edgy because his son is a marine, had fought on the front line in Iraq and was still there. He said he respected the President because of his integrity, and although we disagreed on that, I told him that I agreed with the values he found in the President and I cared about the country too. We shook hands over a divide that had seemed pretty bleak a few minutes before, but now was connecting us.

The right and left are trading volleys over the heads of a vast majority of good intentioned people, both in the US and abroad, who really want the United States to stand for freedom, for democracy, for compassion...The core beliefs of many in the U.S. populace are entwined in the President and tearing him down becomes a repudiation of the values he espouses. The challenge of this time for those who don’t see eye to eye with the present government is to elevate the discourse, to present an alternate view... [that] doesn’t devolve into a cynicism that alienates our friends and neighbors...