Know Your Enemy

Guest blogger Zachary Richards wrote this post, which has nothing whatsoever to do with writing or getting published. It appeared on his blog on 9/20/2012 (Repeated with permission).

You need to know this.

Regardless of your political beliefs.

Regardless of your race, creed, gender, religion, sexual orientation or financial situation.

I am a member of your family.

I know very little about North Dakota. I know where it’s located but I’ve never met anyone from there. Don’t know if I would like them if I did.

But I know this.

If any outsider, any foreign country or even hostile space aliens invaded North Dakota and attacked its citizens, I would grab my rifle, jump in my truck and take off to help defend them. It wouldn’t matter who they supported for president, or whether or not they liked country music, or if they are adamantly for or against this or that.

They are Americans and as Americans they are my family and in times of trouble I got their back and have no doubt that if the situation were reversed, they’d have mine.

As the political season grows uglier, we need to remember who we are and what we stand for. Don’t let them convince you there are blue and red states. Don’t buy into the lies that seek to divide us into conservative and liberals, or rich and poor. Ever hear the saying, divide and conquer?

E Pluribus Unum — Out of many, One.

That is our country’s motto. Remember that.

Over the course of our history hundreds of thousands of our soldiers sacrificed their lives for our protection. The best way to honor that sacrifice is not by having parades, or holding memorials or having big blowout department store sales. We can honor their sacrifice by taking the time to verify the statements made by the media regarding the people running for elected office. I have seen the most outrageous, villainous and outright treasonous claims made about the presidential candidates as well those campaigning for local office.

It is disgraceful.

I have no idea what your political stance is but I do know this. Even if we were on completely opposite sides of an issue, if we sat down at the table and hashed out our concerns, we would come to a reasonable compromise. It wouldn’t be perfect, compromises never are, but our main concern wouldn’t be about getting our way. It would be about doing what’s best for our fellow Americans.

I have mentioned in a previous post that Fox News is owned by Rupert Murdock, an Australian who had been under investigation for hacking into people’s personal cell phones and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal the nephew of the Saudi King. And on the other side of the spectrum, The Daily News is owned by Canadian born Mortimer Zuckerman, a man with a long association with the Israeli lobby.

Do you think both sides are slanting their news stories to convince you to side with them and to support their issues? Do you think both sides are fanning the fires of derision to make us turn on each other and overlook the fact that they are feathering their own nests at our expense?

I do.

And I will not support or participate.

I believe that as an American, you are capable of making up your own mind as to who your elected representative should be. I believe you will take the time and make the effort to research the candidates to find the best one for the job. As for me, I will actively fight against any organization that divides us into categories, or tries to convince me that anyone who disagrees with their position is a traitor, or un-American. And I pledge that I will not post any derogatory clip or statement about any candidate unless I can personally verify its accuracy through various unrelated and reliable sources.

My name is Zackary Richards and I approve this message.

If you agree, share this and let the special interests know that lies, misinformation and malicious propaganda against any candidate will not turn you against the candidate but will instead, turn you against the organization that distributes it.

If you wish to comment you can do so at my blog: http://zackaryrichards.blogspot.com

Dixon says: Americans have a long history of vicious political discourse. In the mass media of his day, Abraham Lincoln was pilloried with a gusto few modern politicians have been subjected to. Franklin D. Roosevelt was called a Communist - not by fruitcakes on the fringe, but by his mainstream political opponents. John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic elected as president, was hated by segregationists and bigots of every stripe, and Texas schoolchildren cheered at the news of his assassination. George W. Bush was ridiculed by late night comics as nothing but a hick and a moron, and Barack Obama's first national campaign - well, you know all the far-fetched claims that spread like wildfire on the 'Net. But this year's political campaigns, fueled by fear, anger and heaps of special interest money, have really been over the top. Even if we dislike the current White House occupant, I hope we can come to respect the office itself.