A Political Glossary #1

After writing it, I decided to not publish my blog about my son-in-law’s deployment to Iraq.

Experience has taught me that our culture – and especially church culture -- no longer tolerates nuanced opinion. The prevailing belief is that one is either on the “right” or the “left”, and that all subcategories of thought, emotion and opinion assigned to those two broad labels naturally attach to one of these polar positions. Thus, we tend to select the media outlets most favorable to our stated position, form our friendships, alliances and even our churches according to how they revolve around one of these labels. We also tend to consider or dismiss issues and ideas according to how they seem to support or threaten our social and political identity.

This polarized environment leads us to speak in sound bites and clichés with those who agree with us and call the result, “a conversation.” Of course this is not real conversation at all but it takes a lot less work than a “real conversation.”

A real conversation requires the following:

1. A willingness to speak one’s true thoughts about the subject at hand

2. A willingness to listen to the true thoughts of another; without using the time when the other person is speaking to craft our own speech

3. The ability to maintain respect for the person with whom we are conversing even when we disagree with his or her opinion

4. Being more concerned with finding the truth about a matter (or at least gaining understanding the other person’s opinion) than with winning an argument.

I invite the reader to ask himself or herself if we have very many conversations these days, at least as I define “conversation” here.

I say all of this to point out the fact that it has become notoriously difficult to have a political conversation nowadays – at least with people who feel differently about political matters. One of the reasons is because we don’t always share with them the same definitions for the words we use to discuss political life. So I thought it might make sense to create a political glossary – defining our political vocabulary in an unbiased way and with as much “common” sense as possible.

We could begin a political glossary with the words “right” and “left.” The terms were first used in a political way in France, where the early attempts at parliamentary democracy resulted in hundreds of delegates sitting in a massive room, grouped by political orientation, from the royalists on the extreme right to the anarchists and socialists on the left.

So do those labels tell us anything at all, here in the United States, in 2008? Well, yes. They tell us whether a person is generally more interested in social change (left) or in maintaining continuity with the past (right). Few people sit on the extreme boundaries of these positions, however. Most people position themselves somewhere away from the extreme of their stated position. This means that a person who is somewhat more interested in social change than in continuity with the past will have a lot in common with a person who is somewhat more interested in continuity with the past than with social change. In fact, these two people will likely have more in common with one another than with those who “sit on their side of the aisle” but at the edge of the room.

At present, the American media seems to define us all as sitting at the edge of the room. Thus, if we are on the “right” side of the aisle (as I am) then we are expected to be in agreement with every idea and emotion represented on “our side of the aisle” and to find every idea represented by the folks on the other side of the aisle thoroughly repugnant and nauseating.

As I just said: I sit on the right side of the aisle. That tells you that I am more committed to maintaining continuity with the past than I am to facilitating social change. This does not mean that I am uninterested in social change at all, however. Actually, I am extremely interested in social change. I just want to experience change in a way that does not sever my social, spiritual and cultural root system. That makes me a conservative, although not one that a person like Rush. Limbaugh or Ron Paul (both of whom claim to be conservatives) would affirm. Both of those gentlemen (if gentlemen they are) sit further toward the edge of the room than I do.

I am also a Republican, or at least I have voted that way most of the time. Now what does that mean? What exactly is a “republican” or a “democrat?”

Here’s a simple explanation. Since the beginning, our country’s leaders and thinkers have been divided about whether the nation ought to be governed as a pure democracy – a place where every citizen has as much say about every decision as everyone else – or as a republic – where every citizen helps select the best and the brightest political thinkers among us to make those decision that most of us do not have the experience or training to make.

So. A democrat leans more toward the idea of pure democracy. A republican leans toward the idea of a republic.

Historically, republicans have kept democrats from degenerating into mob rule. However, democrats have kept republicans from forming an oligarchy. That’s why we tend to change parties every few years – to keep our nation from tilting toward either one of these extremes. Kept in power too long, each party tends to drift toward its most radical position.

In the last twenty-five years or so, both of our parties have shifted away from being republicans or democrats and toward being conservatives and liberals. Before, each party had both liberals and conservatives and had to work through the differences of the nation before arriving at a party platform. Today, the parties – and those who belong to them – are able to escape real conflict of opinion within their own parties. It is possible to read only those magazines, listen only to those radio personalities and to affiliate only with those people who are in substantial agreement with us. This creates a climate in which the opinions of the other party seem like insanity, like the babblings of madmen. It opens up a chasm between the parties that forces people at the center to choose between the extremes, least they fall into the widening abyss.

In such a climate, nuance and moderation gets lost and civility and respect colors one as cowardly or duplicitous. So the radicals and extremist rant while the centrists and moderates remain silent, shamed by their desire to maintain community with those with whom they disagree.

That’s why I thought I would create a political glossary before sharing my own views on the war, public service and political life.

Response from A Soldier

Dan,

My heart is filled with love and regard for both you and Talitha. We have a saying in the military: “we serve, the family sacrifices.” I know you are at a loss for words and I can understand. When I left for both tours, Sandy could only say, “I love you” while inside she was proud, angry and hugely burdened. On the other hand, I and every soldier has difficulty saying what we feel because the emotions of fear, pride, honor, love for family and concern all rush together at the same time creating a bottleneck of words and emotions. After I had deployed, I was finally able to express my feelings in a prayer which I imagine is what Tyson is feeling. I have attached it. I hope maybe it is a comfort to you and your daughter. Feel free to share/use it however you wish.
Just know that I understand, love, care and support you any way I can,

Jim Patterson

It’s me Lord.
Sometimes I don’t know what to say to You especially when war looms so near.
As dawn breaks, I hear a bird sing and realize that Your peace is still present even in the midst of such awful anticipation.

Right now, my mind is dancing with memories of all those I love so much.
Like a kaleidoscope I see faces of friends and family;
I see places and things;
I hear songs and laughter and joy and they make my heart smile.
Lord I wish I could be in church right now just to hold hands with my wife and sing a song of wonderful praise.
Just to be there one more time.
Oh Dear Lord, thank you for these precious memories.

On this dawn of the unknown, please be with my wife, my family and loved ones.
Place Your hand on their heart and let them know Your presence. Comfort them, as You are comforting me now, with Your love.
Take away their fear, wipe the tears from their eyes and hold tight to their trembling hands.
Dear Lord let them know how very much I love them and how very close to me they are right now.
Tell them I am in Your hand; You will watch over me and I’ll be all right.

Well Lord, the time is near.
The threat of violence is on the horizon; the great engines of war are screaming across the sky and every eye is wide with great awareness.
As the hatred of the enemy is waved before us, I wonder why mankind has to come to such a horrible confrontation.
Questions flood my mind: Will I do my job? Will this war be won? Will I live to see my family again?
Forgive me Lord for being afraid.
Please give me courage so that I might do my duty and be faithful to my country and my fellow soldiers.

Oh Lord help me understand the right to self-defense, the nature of retribution and the wisdom to know the difference.
Somehow, let peace and love and freedom be born out of this trial.
Let the world see and know Your truth, Your love and Your redemption.
As we march now into the future I hear the words so clearly that I learned in Sunday school years ago:
“Yea, though I walk through the valley and shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff shall comfort me”.
I know you are here.
I feel so small and unworthy right now.
My heart begs that you protect me and keep me safe.
Throughout this trial, let me be brave, let me be true, let me be honorable.
I am a soldier Lord, please never let me fall from your hand.
In Jesus name

Lt Col James Patterson
12 October 2001
Deploying to Southwest Asia
Operation ENDURING FREEDOM

War, Political Life, and The Gospel

This past Tuesday, my son-in-law said goodbye to his wife and daughter and headed out for a year and a half deployment to Iraq. I had so many emotions and thoughts when I tried to blog about it that I realized that I was not quite ready to share them. So I thought I should start here: with my daughter’s blog.

I will respond soon to her blog and probably write a series on “war, political life and the gospel.” Anyway, by way of introduction, my daughter’s name is Talitha Kartler. She lives in Phoenix and is a gifted and called eighth-grade teacher. My granddaughter’s name is Kendall and she is four years old, very pretty and above average in every way! ( I have pictures if you are interested!)

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Until A Soldier Comes Home

Tonight I sit at my dining room table, eating a peanut butter sandwich, and it is completely silent. My daughter, exhausted from a day of playing, is asleep on the couch. I, on the other hand, am restless. Today I dropped off my husband, my companion of 10 years, at the airport as he heads for deployment in Iraq. There are a lot of other things that should be done right now. There is a pile of laundry on the couch, and the bills are next to me at the computer. I need to throw away the crusts from my peanut butter sandwich.

I wish I could say something profound about his departure. Just like this morning when I dropped him off, there were not adequate words. "I love you" had to cover the vast range of emotions that I had been reeling through in the last few days. Even now, there are so many things I want to say, and instead I'm trying to decide how I feel. It's a new emotion, or maybe no emotion at all. I'm not sure. I think that now I have resigned myself to the task that is at hand, which is to be the keeper of the household while Tyson is gone. I can handle myself; I know that there will be good days and crying days. So far I have been able to have a good cry and then pick up and move on. What I cannot figure out how to handle, however, is what just happened.

Kendall woke up from her late nap, lifting her fuzzy blond head from the couch in a bewildered state. Then the crying began. I couldn't quite figure out what she wanted, until she whimpered,

"Mommy, I miss Daddy."

So we fixed some chocolate milk, put on Loony Tunes, and now she and I are cuddled up on the couch.

I know that in time, Kendall and I will settle into a routine, fixing lunches, running late for school, watching movies on the couch. The days will pass. And then, by the grace of God, Tyson will be home.

I have never regretted Tyson's decision to join the Army. The Army needs someone like him. Anyone who knows Tyson would instantly agree with me. Tyson will be in his element over in Iraq. He will miss home, I know, but he will have quite an adventure. I also admire the way that our country has rallied around its military. Regardless of the public's varying views of the war, I feel that our soldiers have been treated with respect and appreciation. Our country is aware of the sacrifices our soldiers make.

But the families make sacrifices too.

Just remember that for every soldier fighting, there might be a child who is drinking chocolate milk, watching cartoons, and waiting for her daddy to come home.