Political division and President(?) Sasse

It appears that our Senator Sasse doesn’t want to be reelected as a Nebraska Senator again. His vote to impeach Past President Trump was the clincher for all that I’ve visited with recently. But then a friend notes that the Lincoln residents that are of a more liberal persuasion want him to run for president in 2024. Divided we are.

It is sad to see our country so politically divided as is our current mood. The attempted impeachment farce of Past President Trump that dominated the airwaves this past week just served to open old wounds. Trump lost the election and it is time to unite around our new President.

I filled my gas tank this morning. Kudos to all of you who voted for Biden whose “green” policy dictates are causing the big recent gas price increases. Oh, that is right those policies are designed to prevent climate change; the runaway temperature rise of our planet. For sure this morning’s thermometer shows that is working well.

Twenty degrees below zero here as I write yet business is as usual in our town. Health care workers are on the job and businesses are open as normal. School is not in session but that is in regard to President’s Day. Under a brilliant sun, our snow-covered landscape is a sight to remember and treasure. Sure the cold is an irritant but dress for it then step forth and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. Life here in Southwest Nebraska is good!

The cold and snow cover again reminds me of the several weeks I was privileged to spend in Fairbanks, Alaska some years past. Something about the Air Force that I enjoyed is that I found it to be a brotherhood of friends. Stationed in Fairbanks at the time was former next-door neighbor Bill and his family. Living there on base I joined them for the evening meal one dark but clear arctic night. After eating Bill, I and his teenage and younger children went out to “play” in the snow. Now Bill’s house sat on a plateau with a steep slope dropping into a ravine just behind his back yard. Bill had used a garden hose to water a path straight down that slope to make a wonderful slippery sled run. Oh the fast trip down was a thrill and the trudge back up pulling the sled was again warming to our bodies. Twenty below zero yet the shouts of kids having a good time brought out the neighborhood kids to join in the fun. Incidentally, the ski hill there on base had a standing rule of being open so long as the temperature remained above 25 degrees below zero. Let me say that one’s skis really sing as you speed down that hard-packed run with a temperature that cold.

There is a movement in this country that to this old columnist is quite disturbing. In my understanding, it is expressed as woke. The idea is that we are all divided into some characteristic: our skin color, our sex, our gender persuasion and many more. Then each of those groups are pitted against one or more of the other divisions. For instance, I was born a white male and therefore am to be branded racist and against those of the female sex all persons of LGBQ??? and other artificial divisions. Supposedly those ideas have been encouraged in many of our schools of higher learning. The result is dissension against our fellow man.

Those of Christian persuasion are taught that we as humans have personal flaws and that striving to live by what Christ taught us we try to correct our own flaws to better deal with our fellow man. The concept is to love your fellow man as yourself.

Not so for those who consider themselves as woke which makes everyone in their group of wokeness right and everybody else wrong in one way or another. If we are white therefore we are against everyone of a different skin tint.

Wherever our ethnic forefathers immigrated from we now consider ourselves to be Americans. In the past there was discrimination against the Irish and the Italians that stuck together as groups as they immigrated to the United States. Eventually, in a generation or two, those people assimilated into our American society and are simply accepted by all as fellow Americans. Especially under the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King we had made great strides into assimilating those of black skin into the concept of being fellow Americans.

Now there appears to be a large movement bent on dividing our wonderful country into divisive groups. Unfortunately, Christianity is fading in our country and the internal striving of woke groups agitating against all others does not portend for a very happy future. What to do about it I have no good idea. Thankfully we in the center of this great country are not much affected but I fear the disruption of people on both coasts will creep toward us and cause great unrest.

Back to reality. Yes, it is cold outside but be thankful for a reliable source of electricity and heating fuel. Dress for it and enjoy the beautiful snow that will be gone before very long. Life is good.

That is the way I saw it.

Dick Trail