Donald Trump. Kamala Harris. Different approaches. Contrasting outcomes. Will we turn red or blue Nov. 5?
It doesn’t matter.
Why?
Half the population will be upset; half will feel vindicated and triumphant, no matter what.
Afterwards, we’ll get back to business as usual, being helpful and friendly, or rude and nasty, or any combination thereof, whichever mood we choose, despite an election.
People with Harris signs will have to speak and interact with their neighbors, friends, family and co-workers with Trump signs.
Some will leave their bumper stickers on for the rest of time, so wherever they drive we can remember their political opinion and choose to glare at, ignore, or smile at them in traffic.
I think it would be fun to mix the thing up; have a Trump Walz sticker or Harris Vance made up, just to get people wondering. Or put a Harris sticker on the left side of the bumper (left wing) and Trump on the right of the same vehicle.
Don’t get me wrong; I have my political preferences. I don’t think two opposing presidential candidates holding office together would result in a good thing. But, in the interest of living, I favor peace over war, life over death. I’m not the genocidal type.
Any idea that promotes life is better than one that promotes ending life, altering human bodies, or hurting people short or long term.
The United States Constitution already protects us appropriately. We don’t need more amendments. The Missouri State Constitution, on the other hand, is a noisy corkboard of wildly contrasting posters and Post-it notes, like a cluttered bulletin board in a run-down supermarket, with everybody promoting, selling and advertising everything possible.
The Missouri Constitution; this election especially, trying to get more and more stuff passed, with everybody clamoring for some new idea; selling this and that notion; amending this and amending that.
The Missouri Constitution weighs too much.
We can actually carry around pocket U.S. Constitutions, but don’t have enough pockets for Missouri Constitutions.
If I could, I’d take a large, shiny, sharp pair of brand-new scissors and cut out 44.4% of the Missouri state constitution.
It’s fluff. It’s muddled. If I could, I would prevent new laws and new amendments, no matter what they are. I would merely enforce the good laws we have, ignore the bad, and discard the stuff that’s in the way.
I’m a constitutional minimalist.
I like to see the corners in the room. I don’t like stuff piled high in “I’ll get to it someday” dissaray.
Our legislators have cluttered desks, figuratively speaking. They have too much fluff to sift in Jeff City.
What to do after the election…
I challenge you who read this far to extend grace to those you disagree with. After the election, continue to be a decent, loving, kind and compassionate soul. Cherish your time on earth. Live as if it’s your last day. My sister died on election day during the last presidential election, Nov. 3, 2020. She was 53. The outcome of the election mattered not to her.
Focus on important things.
White men matter
Here are some important things to consider:
Before the election, white men built and or designed the majority of technology you are using to view this.
After the election, that won’t change.
Please be kind to us white men. We aren’t better than the rest of you; it’s just that we happen to be the group who puts in your roads and bridges and builds your houses and cars and office buildings and grows and transports your food and stuff. Yes, others do those things, but without white men, it’s vastly diminished.
We will still take good care of all of you. Thank you for understanding we all can work together to be better people, decent Americans, proud of our country and its accomplishments and look forward to a brighter future. If we have a strange person in the White House, or a Congress we don’t agree with; we will still be friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members. We still need to encourage and uplift others.
What the Bible has to say
Galatians 5:15 (English Standard Version) But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
I Corinthians 1:10 (New International Version) I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Johnny Rooster is a free thinking American white man with a journalism degree from the past and a lot to yet learn in the future. ChristianCountyTrumpet@gmail.com