"A nation divided against itself cannot stand," President Abraham Lincoln once said. Lincoln would find our nation more divided today than ever, despite tremendous advances from his Civil War era to our computer age. How dismayed he would be to find an African-American president criticized, not so much by racism, but by
*eligion-gone-wild.
The Pilgrims who fled from England seeking religious freedom celebrated the first Thanksgiving believing in one god. Freedoms we so cherish are threatened by a lack of unity in politics, diminishing at a dangerous pace. Religion has become a commanding force toward dividing our country. Too many seem to worship glamour and wealth over the love for one another, as commanded by Jesus.
The religious right spent millions to destroy Bill Clinton's presidency over a personal indiscretion, despite all the good he accomplished. Then the abortion issue was used to win a George W. Bush victory. His lies led to a war against Iraq, with the following years bringing us to economic disaster and leaving a huge deficit for President Obama. The president has managed to keep the country from falling into another Great Depression, only to be treated with mockery.
The amazing poor memory of voters brought a Republican victory on Nov. 2. Now we view Sarah Palin as striving to live in the White House, applauded by her religious followers as she spews hatred and condemnation against a president dedicated to improving the lives of all, not just the rich.
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This Christmas season we should celebrate the birth of our savior who came to give us the greatest gift of all, which no amount of money could buy. May we honor Martin Luther King's dream that we not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.
Clara j. Tefft
Duluth
