What are the signs telling us?
Years ago, a couple of weeks after Donald Trump won the presidency, Dennis Prager, a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist, wrote a thought-provoking article for National Review titled, “Ten Reasons Left-wingers Cut Trump Voters from Their Lives.” Reading it for the first time last week, I thought it had been written this year.
Prager began his column noting a front-page article in the New York Times on the same topic titled, “Political Divide Splits Relationships — and Thanksgiving, Too.” The NYT'S article began with three examples of people breaking family relationships over the 2016 election. One man canceled Christmas plans with his family who voted for Trump. A woman “called off Thanksgiving with her mother and brother.” Another woman moved “her wedding so that her fiancé's grandmother and aunt, strong Trump supporters … could not attend.”
Prager observed and the NYT acknowledged these politically charged family breakups were one-sided: “Democrats have dug in their heels, and in some cases are refusing to sit across the table from relatives who voted for President-elect Donald J. Trump.”
Prager himself said he had received calls on his radio program from parents whose daughters “had informed them they would no longer allow their parents to see their grandchildren.” All of these examples happened within two weeks of the 2016 election! And, if anything, it's worse today than then!
Family feuds over religion or politics are nothing new. Nevertheless I continue to be struck by the insatiable nature of this one-sided feud. We're in President Trump's last year of his term, and hatred of Trump and his followers has reached superlative heights of apocryphal decrees! Every crisis, real or imagined, for the past threeplus years has been the worst possible scenario that would certainly lead to World War III or the total demise of planet earth. All the experts and “anonymous sources” agree.
Trump beat Hillary! Oh, the agony! Kavanaugh was confirmed! Oh, disaster! Schiff has seen absolute undisputed proof of Trump's collusion with Russia. Mueller finds no evidence of any collusion with Russia! Oh, the humanity! And, this week Trump conquers impeachment! What's that song The 5th
Dimension released in 1967? “Maybe it's the best thing for you, But it's the worst that could happen to me….” Per his campaign promises, President Trump just keeps on winning and winning.
Prager explains this one-sided feud from a historical perspective of the left and right sides of politics going back to Karl Marx. He makes a great case. I encourage you to read it for yourself.
Last week President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced a proposed peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Key Arab nations in the Middle East have expressed their favor, though some have not. This announcement comes in spite of wars and rumors of wars covering the globe, when lawlessness is becoming more pronounced and many people's hearts are turning cold.
What do all of these things portend? Could the corona virus kill tens or even hundreds of millions this year? Will nations join together, or will powerful nations take advantage of the times to broaden their influence? Are forces more powerful than climate change capable of making radical changes affecting everyone in the world over the next seven years or so? What are the signs telling us?
Daniel L. Gardner is a syndicated columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at Pjandme2@gmail.com.