Saving Civility

What is it that separates reasonable politics from partisan politics?

Respect for the Truth on both sides of a debate and a willingness to be swayed by objective facts on both sides of a debate. Civility in either victory or defeat is required to maintain the environment.

What is present in uncivilized discourse?

An obstinate, faith-based irrational belief and unwillingness to listen to reason, and/or ignorance. Sometimes ignorance is manufactured by a secretive power structure and is not contemptible, other times it is sought in comfort or fear and is.

People on both the left and the right get far too much mileage out of angry shouts.

How did we get so far away from a nation that elected men like Paul Simon and George Mitchell and Bob Dole?

How did we as voters come to respect confidence over competence?

How did we fill up with so many people that cannot tolerate the harmless activities of others (i.e. choose a victimless crime)?

How do we restore credibility to Washington so that our government can promote rather than pervert the people's business?

How do we step back and correct this political environment of ours before life becomes so ugly that the birth rates in Western nations decline ever further?

I think it starts with politeness and proceeds with honesty and humility. We must cherish these things and learn to recognize these qualities in those we elect.

We must be willing to reject bad candidates even when they are associated with our favored party.

I am worried that we are never going to defeat political Islam as long as we are so divided and so uncommitted to things that really matter. We must honor human rights, democratic values, and kindness to each other as sacred.

Without recognizing the Good, we will not be able to recognize the things that undermine them.

There is nobody else to fix it but us.

Practice politeness before it's too late.