Yurp

Land of Contrasts. 

Congratulations.

You have now read David Brooks' entire June 1, 2012 column.

Except for this bit:

The United States is a single nation with a common history, a common currency and a strong identity. Yet the country has become more polarized, not less. The country has become more difficult to govern, not less.

By golly, we really have become more polarized not less!

Unless, of course, you factor in that bit about slavery.

And 600,000 Americans killing each other in bloody civil war.

And Jim Crow.

And Vietnam.

And the Civil Rights movement.

And in case you hadn't noticed it, our contemporary upsurge in ungovernability comes as a direct result of the unconquered racism, prideful ignorance and bile from each of these acts of near-fatal disunion oozing into our cultural catch-basin and spawning monsters.

Monsters whose explicit goal is destroy the American government by making America ungovernable.  Who (as I have written before) now stand on the Overpass of History heaving cinderblocks into traffic.

I guess that spanking new $4M mansion came as mirror-optional.



* (Apropos of nothing except that I stumbled upon an example of it moments ago, it is still strange and inspiring to come across some verbal construction of mine showing up as a part of a civic dialogue far, far away from my front door :-)