Our choices say who we are at any given time. What does it say when you can choose to make a deal, but decide that 800,000 working people won’t be paid until you get what you want? The president has had two years with a Republican Congress and did not get wall funding; suddenly everything must stop until he gets what he wants. It is appalling that our country is at this point. Everyone wants secure borders and safe streets, but we are not currently in a worse situation than we were in 10, 8, or 4 years ago – there is no crisis. So why are government employed Americans being taken economic hostage? America has become the greatest power in the world in part because we get along well with our neighbors, and don’t have a resource draining militarized border. Is the president attempting to change our relationship with our neighbors? Why?

We are living in a time when the president of the United States is openly discussed as a security risk/threat to the country he leads. How did we get here? Why are Americans so caught in partisanship that we cannot deal with major threats to the planet, our country, and our society? I think the reason is we cannot seem to agree on the truth. We have networks and media companies that tailor content to the politics of the audience. Any capable enemy would use our internal conflicts against us; especially if we perceive major parts of reality differently. Our republic will thrive on a variety of viewpoints, but will collapse if we are separated from reality. History teaches us that The best attack is the one the target is not aware of – let’s decide to keep our republic, not be victims, and unite around the truth.