Divide And Conquer

It's attributed to Philip of Macedonia. Julius Caesar said it. Machiavelli included it in "The Prince." Divide and Conquer.

That appears to be the strategy of Vladimir Putin. The Western Alliance is coming apart and Putin is helping it to collapse. Split off a weak member (Britain). Encourage nationalism in France, in Germany. Bring down democracy. In North America wage a smear campaign against Hillary Clinton; support a divisive candidate.

And it's working. Divide the Western Alliance. Soon Putin will have no opposition when he incorporates the Balkan countries into his empire, once again.

My friends, we need to fight against our divisiveness. It's not us versus them. We are them.

Down in the Sundown Lounge, I buy a pitcher of beer and everybody's my friend. I hear the troubles of those friends. They work hard but it doesn't seem to get them anyplace. President Trump tells them it's not their fault. The government is holding them back; too any regulations. Too many foreigners driving wages down. He's gonna fix it.

At the Globe Bar on Sunday afternoon I meet with friends who despair at the government's easing of hard-fought environmental regulations. Evidence of global warming is everyplace; our President's regime rejects it. Big corporations have seized power. What next? President Trump is unpopular.

We simply gotta get over this rift. We are all Americans and the problems belong to all of us. Yes, our country has income inequality and sooner or later it will bite us all. Yes, or federal government is leading us in the wrong direction, the fox in the henhouse and that, too, will bite us.

I plead with my congressman. Reach across the aisle.

I plead with you, my friends. You, too, must reach across the divide.

Dac Crossley
November 24, 2019

"If Donald Trump isn't on Putin's payroll he ought to be. Trump had done more to divide this country than Putin ever did." -- Stephen King, in a "Time Magazine" interview.

Comments

[Lesley A. Diehl]

We are divided and neither side seems to want to hear what the other is saying. It's as if we are speaking different languages, so how do we talk across the aisle?

[Ruth Holt]

My daily prayer: Dear God, thank you for this great nation. Help us to become united again under your guidance.

[Chris]

Hi, Dac,
Well said. I won't try to enhance, just agree. I'm scared for the first time like this in my almost 88 years. I want to go out and scream, and I keep thinking of things to 'fixit,' but I feel helpless. Even the young people I know haven't awakened to the true facts.I hope they will be able to take care of the earth. The ones I know vote for the right people, but they don't really understand how this all works, has worked before, and could work again. This time the planet may have to take care of itself for us, and Putin may have to put some clothes on and ride his horse into an abyss of ice.
If I disappear tomorrow, you'll know why.
Chris

[John Kominoski]

Well worded, Dac!

[Paige]

There is so much divide.

Who is benefiting the most from all this? What percentage of Americans are truly benefiting? What is happening to the country? What is our national debt?

Everyone needs to look at this and honestly try to repair the damage to the country.

And you certainly have the experience to rant! Although I call it sharing your experience.

[alan]

in my mere 75 years I have only seen this much division during the days of Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House

When the Republican House and Senate spent a long time IMPEACHING President Clinton they also wasted a tremendous amount of money.

The respect for most politicians appears to be at the lowest since WWII.

"UNITED" does not fit in this country's name

50 States that Tolerate Each Other Sometimes

might be a better name