Mr. Smith Stays in Washington: Or Hooray for the Filibuster, Now What?

Last night, having said what I wanted to say about the "nuclear option", and being preoccupied with some personal matters, I was not inspired to write a new posting. But as I watched the evening new, a prayer for our nation began composing in my head and heart. And I thought, I'll post that.

However, when I signed on to post, I found that my prayer, or perhaps I should say our prayers, had been answered. The "nuclear option" had been avoided. Compromise is the word of the day.

Both sides blinked. And despite all rhetoric to the contrary, neither side can really claim victory.
But this compromise, like all compromises is not necessarily a bad thing.

Compromise has played a large part in our nation's political history. Even at the very beginning, when the Constitutional Convention was trying to decide what type of representative government our country should have. Some delegates felt that each state's number of representatives should be based on that state's population. Delegates from smaller states objected, stating this would give the bigger and more populated states an unfair advantage. They proposed that each state have two representatives. The resulting compromise resulted in the creation of the Congress we have today. And the members of Congress have been debating and compromising ever since.

However, this compromise does not eliminate the opposing views regarding judical nominees, or the many other ideological differences between Conservatives and Progressives. There is still much work to be done by Congress, and by us, the American citizens.

We must continue to use our voices and our votes in service to our nation. There are many organizations, such as MoveOn and True Patriot, with websites and listservs to help you get involved. And we must get involved.

We must let our nation's leaders, and just as importantly the media, that there are people of faith with moderate and even progressive points of view. Yes, even those of us who, like myself, prefer to not to mix religion and politics; we must speak out about our faith and our political beliefs.

One interesting item that I'll be discussing with friends in my UU (Unitarian Univeralist) congregation, is the newly-forming Network of Spiritual Progressives (today's green button). I just learned about it this evening, and will be exploring the details more fully myself. But I'm excited about the concept. Groups such as this can speak out and say "Hey, the Religious Right does not have a monopoly on Faith and Morality. This is our country too! And this is what we want for our country."

I believe that our history shows that America is at its best when it celebrates the cultural and spiritual diversity of its citizens. And that our darkest days have been when we let our differences divide us; i.e. McCarthyism, Jim Crow, and the Civil War.

Our history also shows that we can raise ourselves out of this Right vs. Left quagmire, and again return to working together towards the ideals consecrated in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. This is the convenant we keep with each other as Americans. And it is the job of every true patriot.