By Cary R. Brick
Greetings to all the travelers on the “political campaign express” journey to Election Day and the presidential inauguration.
The television cable pundits and our favorite weatherman’s forecast from now to inauguration day calls for a bumpy ride. We will encounter detours and potholes, but we will survive. Our journey on this Daytona 500-like superhighway with no speed limits is not always smooth, but if you believe in patriotism, right over wrong, sanity over insanity, character over immorality, democracy over authoritarianism, then you are in the right lane.
Of course, we freedom-loving Americans have differing perceptions and priorities. Our journeys across America should give us a wide range of different experiences which should help us see and hopefully understand the opposing sides of an issue. Our democracy welcomes healthy debate among leaders who show understanding and respect for each other. With that as a guideline, they know they can disagree without being disagreeable.
At every level of government — from the village boards and city councils to the state Legislatures to Congress — there is a center ground where the competition of ideas can lead to a taste of victory for all sides. That is called compromise; that is not a dirty word. Our Constitution — the supreme law of the land — was written by patriots who compromised after contentious debate. That document has been amended only 27 times since it came into effect 235 years ago in 1789.
But there are certain non-negotiables. It is not always about priorities and needs we have as Americans, but as human beings.
When this journey is over, I want my family to enjoy the same rights I have enjoyed as I approach age 80 (yikes!). I want the separation of church and state to remain intact as our founders intended. I want people to be able to love who they want and to be the people they want to be. I want to know that when we leave this world, we will have left it a better place for our children and future generations.
No more lies. No more division. No more animosity. No more threats to people who think differently. We as Americans deserve better than that. We are better than that. I want leaders who build us up, not rip us apart. For months, we have driven through a dark tunnel of anger; I prefer the light of hope. Our country was built on hopes and dreams, not animosities.
The promise of our America is to be a country for all its people with equality, truth and justice — a country offering sky-is-the-limit possibilities for every one of our citizens. We do not have to agree on everything, but we must agree on the foundations that make us a beacon of light to the world. When America is strong with lasting relationships with our long-term allies, not dictators, we can continue to lead the world.
Right now, the eyes of the world are focused on us. Those who rule from gold thrones in Russia, North Korea, China and Iran, and those who crawl through bunkers and underground tunnels — all with laptops and cellphones trying to divide us by influencing everything we hold dear — are waiting for us to stumble and fail.
But our friends, our democratic brotherhood, are praying we survive this journey and continue the right track toward a better world. Yes, we Americans can and will survive.
So, my fellow Daytona 500 riders, keep your seat belts of hope on as we maneuver a rough ride. But hopefully, through all the craziness, we will emerge the United States of America. Yes, we Americans can and will survive. Our democracy has been through many challenges and political battles, but it has always survived. Our founding fathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution knew what they were doing.
Cary Brick is a retired Congressional chief of staff and is a frequent contributor to the Ford County Chronicle. He said today’s column was inspired by an essay written by a retired-educator cousin and an email pen pal from the Northeast whom he has not seen in 25 years.