Not As Simple As Black Or White

The president's speech last night seemed to me eminently reasonable, rational, measured -- the sort of response I would expect from him.

 Not once did he hint that he was coming for everyone's guns. He did state that allowing people on the No-Fly list to purchase guns -- something  that many Republicans in Congress think is okay --  didn't make sense. 

He called the shooting in San Bernardino an act of terrorism and he cautioned again against demonizing all Muslims. He spoke of the dangers of getting involved in another ground war in the Middle East.

The right wing response was  sadly predictable -- to the point that I wondered if they'd been listening to a different speech. 

   I've said before that I realize that each of us sees reality through our own filters -- upbringing, experience, education, prejudices, to name a few -- and I realize that my perception is surely tinged by my own filters.

But at this point in time, indeed for the past seven years, the polarization is so strong that our country is crippled.

What will it take to bring us together?  

I think of Winston Churchill during WWII as Britain enduring bombing and the threat of invasion, rallying the country with "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Alas, here and now that fear is being used to drive us apart and weaken the country.

And I think of another quote: "We have met the enemy and he is us."