A Short Explanation.
I have again taken to attempting a political journal, but with far less partisanship than I have felt in the past. I believe in the beginning of such an undertaking that some small explanation is in order.

Look please to the title. It is true. If you count yourself in either major political camp, you might take a moment to consider this. Half of America is not with you. It is not. It is a demonstrably simple and plain fact. Just about half you choose against you. And half would choose much as you would.

Certainly about us there are major pockets of one or the other. Where I live, most people (I would say) agree with my own general political choices. And there are, not far from here, communities where it isn't at all hard to find bars, clubs and other social gatherings where the opposite point of view is favored. Expanded to regions and entire states, these trends continue.

Yet overall, half of America leans Left and half leans Right. You can quibble about moderates and registered voters and independents and not-cut-and-dried, but the effective understanding, and the one assumed by this journal, is half/half.

No matter who wins the upcoming presidential election, half (or more) of America will lose. In the 2000 race that was an important milestone in how we have reached this caustic polarization.

After it happens again in this year, 2004, I fear that half of America won't take it lying down.

The Chinese curse is, may you live in interesting times. It is my great fear that the coming months and years will be interesting perhaps beyond our ability to cope. And yet, cope we must. This nation is divided, yet not. People are on one side or the other, but as yet, we live in such a division because we refuse to give it any meaning in our everyday lives. But can we look so hard across the space that divides us, can we look about our lives and discount what the 'other side' is doing?

Can we keep the peace?

Mankind isn't very good at doing that.

So. I take 'pen in hand' (so to speak) and create this record. If I'm fortunate -- If we're all very lucky-- I'll have little momentous to say.