Posted on 08.16.2019

Who's on First?

When I went to grammar school there were kids in my classes who, when election time rolled around, would be for different candidates than I was, or rather their parents were, as we were all way too young to grasp the implications or ramifications of whichever candidates were on the ballot.

In my family, my parents and grandparents - having lived through the Great Depression - whatever candidates who ran in the Democrat side of the ballot were favored, as Roosevelt was hailed as the president who ended the “hard times” as they were commonly known, and Herbert Hoover, whose name was practically synonymous with a curse word, and the Republican Party wore the blame for decades.

My friends and playmates whose families favored the republican candidates simply reflected the thoughts and choices they had heard at home and conversely, the kids from the Democrat homes did the same.

But there was never any animosity, anger or grudges held against opposing sides, a situation akin to whether you were a New York Yankees fan or a Brooklyn Dodgers fan as most of the boys of my acquaintance were in those days of smaller baseball leagues and limited choices.

Politics, for the most part in those days before the coming of television, was more a distraction whose conventions and coverage took up valuable radio time usually devoted to The Lone Ranger and the myriad of afternoon broadcast time slots allotted to programming for the pee-wee set.

Even in high school, we paid more attention to - but took no umbrage at - each other’s political choices and they affected our relationships, not one whit.

I don’t know exactly when we began to be so divided by politics that we feel it is incumbent upon us to totally disrespect the opinions of others as to let it divide friends and family and that, in some circles, verbal disagreement is not enough and we are obliged to harm or even destroy those who disagree with us.

This is not a brand new thing, but has grown in intensity over the last few years, certainly exacerbated by the advent of the twenty-four-hour cable news networks, especially the ones that show political bias, which is practically all of them, mainstream media and radio talk shows notwithstanding.

Our two most recent presidents are probably the most polarizing figures to hold the office in over a century, and both have a sizable contingency of dedicated followers, firmly convinced that there is no middle ground, that it is a winner take all scenario, a never give an inch, "hooray with our side and to hell with yours" attitude. Fanned by the hyperbolic and asinine remarks of ambitious politicians who pander to any and all.

This situation, although intolerable now, will surely reach a fever pitch in the coming months of no holds barred campaigning and by the time the actual election rolls around the bloody campaign trail will be littered with the bodies of the “also-rans,” victims of the better-spoken, better-financed, who cared not at all for the voracity of their acidic remarks nor the reputations or permanent damage done to any opponent who dared stand between them and the power they seek.

The truly dangerous part of this national conundrum is the hate it generates, the belief that it is our obligation to despise the “other side”, that their opinions are not even worthy to be heard and should be suppressed and shouted down instead of being fairly aired in the arena of ideas, both sides weighed and evaluated by all voters in the constitutionally mandated process of one person, one vote, to be decided in the privacy of the ballot box and counted in a fair and impartial way.

Where does it end? I honestly don’t know.

But this I do know.

It would serve the nation well for both sides to stick to the issues, dial back the name-calling and personal insults, the groundless accusations, the vendettas and the making of promises that are impossible to fulfill.

Is it possible?

Being the optimist that I am, I believe it is.

Once in a while, something happens that pulls us together, that brings home the fact of how precious our country is to us and that no candidate or political party deserves our allegiance as much as our nation does, that we need to find some common ground and stand on it, politics be damned.

I don’t know when, I don’t know how, I don’t know what, but we will, at some time in the future experience such an event and realize just how far we have drifted from God and the principles that made this nation what it is.

We can find the way back, but it leads through repentance and common sense.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” - 2 Chronicles 7:14

What do you think?

Pray for our troops our police and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

— Charlie Daniels

PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU POST

Feel free to comment on Charlie's soapboxes, but please refrain from profanity and anonymous posts are not allowed, we need a name and you MUST provide a valid email address. If you provide an email address, but leave the name as "Anonymous" we will pick a name for you based on your email address. No one other than website administrators will see your email address, not other posters. If you post without a valid email address, your comment (whether positive or negative) will be deleted. — TeamCDB

 

Check out "Mexico Again" from Beau Weevils - 'Songs in the Key of E'

Comments

Who's on First?
I applaud your optimism and I hope that it can get better. But in all honesty, I think we both know that this world is winding down to its end. Everything that is happening is what Jesus and the prophets said would take place. That man would grow cold to one another, that what is good would be called evil & evil good. Perversions would increase. Wars and rumors of wars. We keep hoping and praying until the day the sky is split from East to West and the remnant is taken home. The evil in this world will be dealt with once and for all then. May God Bless!
Posted by Mark
God, please forgive us.
I have fallen into the division trap. The more I try to defend the president from slanderous words, the more I see myself descending into a person who is becoming unpleasant and bitter. Both sides needs to thank God for what we do have and pray hard for our country to come together.
Posted by JoAnn
Very well stated
You may remember me from when we met and I was a radio DJ, but you probably don't remember the first time we met, Charlie. We talked about the division that was happening back in the early 80's under Reagan when I was renting a room from your friend Renee in Elfin Forrest, CA. I won't go into any further detail about her, but it was divided times even then. I was working as an announcer at the San Diego Wild Animal Park awaiting my next radio gig at the age of 19 and they were forcing me to join a union. I remember being furious about that and the organizer(s) being so horrible towards me because they knew I was a Reagan supporter. (how they knew is still a mystery to me) But I lost my job there because I wouldn't join the union, but thankfully moved to Minnesota, married a woman who listened to my next radio show and we had 2 kids and a 29 year marriage. The Gulf War in '91 and the WTC and Pentagon (and Flight 93) attacks on 9/11 were 2 times the political fighting seemed to stop cold for a while, but then were later politicized and deepened the partisan divides. God is where we need to focus, Charlie. Democrat, Republican, Independent, Socialist, Communist (well, they were atheists, but I digress) whatever party without focusing on the Almighty we, as a nation are doomed to fail eventually. God Bless The "Other" CDB Charles D. Breuninger
Posted by Charles D
Maybe Never
Amen, Amen & Amen Charlie I hope you are right on this one, that "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV Unfortunately I am not as optimistic as you on this one, mainly because I believe that we are in the last of the last days. I also believe that as a nation we have become so polarized because of major differences such as abortion. Also I remember Sheldon Abelson, CEO of the Venetian Resort and major stockholder saying just a few years ago as he talked about the Democrat Party booing the inclusion of God and Jerusalem in their platform that he did not leave the Democrat Party the Party left him. A lot of truth to that statement, the spiritual side of this equation must be considered when we look at the wholesale murder of babies every day in this country. God Bless the USA and Israel, Plowboy
Posted by Plowboy
Thank you
Thank you sir...you always nail it
Posted by Rob
Unity
Charlie states "The truly dangerous part of this national conundrum is the hate it generates, the belief that it is our obligation to despise the “other side”, that their opinions are not even worthy to be heard and should be suppressed and shouted down instead of being fairly aired in the arena of ideas, both sides weighed and evaluated by all voters in the constitutionally mandated process of one person, one vote, to be decided in the privacy of the ballot box and counted in a fair and impartial way." Most of the comments on this board appear to generate the very hate that Charlie discusses in this column. A poster that regular refers to the previous president as a "sodomite" and states that god put toddler trump in office does not foster the unity that Charlie calls for. I know that Charlie is not responsible for the comments on this board, but he should read most of the comments in response to his columns and reevaluate if he is helping the situation he describes in this weeks statement. *NOTE* And you should read some of the comments from people on the left who respond to Charlie's posts and tweets on social media. Pretty vile stuff. I guarantee anything you have read here pales in comparison to stuff said about Charlie every day., I know that for a fact because I see them day in, day out. - TeamCDB/BW
Posted by Paul
Unity
I am all for eliminating the vile rhetoric from both the right and the left. Reasoned civilized discussion is the way forward. People of different opinions can have good motives. Unfortunately, many on this board don't seem to agree. I am sure that you also see vile rhetoric from the other side. That is unfortunate. CD and his band are great musicians. We can start by agreeing on that !
Posted by Paul
True
Hello Charlie how true on how we have gotten divided by who thinks that there parties are more right or wrong and that there parties did more for the country than the other and that the anger ends up hatered. Keeping my personal opinion to myself
Posted by John
Where Left and Right Go Wrong
Liberals have a lot of legitimate concerns. But their METHOD of dealing with them is wrong. Conservatives could offer a better method, but don't. Instead, they just say that these liberal concerns are not legitimate. - Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
An Example
Liberals are concerned about how the wealthiest 1% have such a large proportion of America's wealth. Instead of pushing for things like taxing the rich and government programs, as the liberals do, or rejecting this concern entirely, as the conservatives do, why not do voluntary things in the private sector to counter income inequality. - Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
To JoAnn ...
Don't worry about being unpleasant and bitter with those who are that way towards you. I have been treated like dirt by relatives for over a decade now, and only recently have I started calling them nasty names.....and I now sleep much more peacefully for having made this adjustment. I am Jewish, I support Israel, and I have lately taken to calling -- for example --- one particularly nasty relative "Taliban D*****" in response to her support for the destruction of Israel, which she insists will lead to an era of peace. It's like this for many.....and is in fact a sign of an all-out Civil War as was experienced by many families in the border states in the 1860s. With modern technologies, ALL families are living in the functional equivalent of border states, and many if not most of those will develop rifts.
Posted by Allan
Why Some Americans Want Socialism
Technically, America has always been a little bit socialist. A tax, in and of itself, is an act of socialism, taking wealth from individuals and groups, spending that wealth on the general public, serving everyone equally regardless of who paid how much in taxes. And remember Benjamin Franklin’s famous saying about death and taxes? Of course, back in the 1790’s or so the government spent its tax revenue on simple things like roads and a military. But that’s still socialism! As time went by, people realized more and more that if the government can tax and spend on this, it can tax and spend on that. There’s no obvious boundary between capitalism and socialism. Even the communist countries themselves have not eliminated private property as they’ve said they would. The democratic socialism of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is nothing more than the government growing yet another ounce bigger. The influence of the university professors that Charlie mentions here on his soapbox is absolutely DWARFED by the influence of what I’m describing. If America ever does change from capitalism to socialism, it will happen not with a bang, but a whimper. Not through a grandiose revolution, but by quietly reaching a tipping point. Supporters of socialism are far from being out of their minds. -- Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
Who's on First?
Hello Charlie Daniels. Well we are living in some mighty dangerous times at the moment and its tearing people apart without a doubt. Our common enemy has one tactic because thats all he needs, divide and conquer. Keep them fighting amongst themselves and we can rob them blind and keep them as slaves forever. Its an age old battle that goes all the way back to the Sphinx in ancient Egypt. Weve all seen its image the Man's head on the animal body. Guess which one we are? Guess who the superior mind is sitting atop the animal body? Have you ever heard of the Babylonian Talmud? Are you aware of the 7 Noahide Laws the Sanhedrin intends to judge the gentiles by? I dont know about you but I prefer my head being attached to my body. Our politicians didnt have any hesitation into signing us up to submit to them and strip us all of our natural born rights that came to us by the laws of Nature and of Nature's God which is our Creator called the Elohim who is the God of the living not the G_d of the dead. Our forefathers were not stupid they fought to unite us and give us every weapon to fight against our common enemy that came to deceive the whole world and cause them to believe a lie. Congress the Senate the President the Court, they all have a purpose to serve and that purpose is to serve the people not a party platform or the corruption of the lobbys influence. In the Bible the love of money is the root of all evil and thats why our agreement AKA our Constitution demands the people control their own money and their own destinies. We were sold out in 1913 and in a little more than 100 years we find ourselves 22 trillion dollars in debt and its obvious our Government has been completely taken over by the people who control our money and keep their face hidden. In my opinion J.F.K. was the last real president our Republic ever had. I was only 5 years old and I still remember my Mama weeping and then when they murdered Bobby too, OMG. These days its all one big lie and our enemy grows bolder. 22 trillion dollars worth of unfunded liabilities aka red ink. We all know what the red ink really is, its our blood, they have always fed off our blood. Jesus told us who they are, he told us how they operate and what their end game was. They can only survive if they keep us at war with each other too distracted to understand whats really going on. Free speech and the 2nd amendment are on the chopping block now. We all know it deep down inside but people are scared too death theyre not stupid its our head on the chopping block killing our natural born rights is the symbolic ritual of killing us literally thats whats coming once they strip us of our rights. The last thing they took from JFK was those who were supposed to be watching his back when his car came around the last corner. The same money owns both political parties and we dont control it. Huge problem, how do you cut the head off the snake without getting bit? Pull the mask off the people that hide their identity from the people in their huge CORPORATIONS that insist we have no right to object to GMO's and spraying our food with ROUNDUP if they say its safe its safe peasant. Its always about the money, power and control. At the end of the day when you borrow money you have to work to pay it back because the true value of money is your labor. To control the money is to control you. To keep you in debt us to keep you in servitude. To keep you in servitude to anything other than yourself is slavery and America wasnt born to make us all slaves but thats exactly whats been going on behind closed doors. Our enemy cant survive in America it has to corrupt and try to kill it within. The world to come is our Republic where all men are created equal endowed by our Creator who is called the Elohim the God of life who breathed into our nostrils and made us a living soul, the only true God of life who called his people Adam. He's the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega. The G_d of the dead is not our G_d. His purpose is to turn people from the wickedness of their way of worshipping false images and idols as they milk their golden cash cow the same way they always have. Their goal has always been the same they want to rule over all us stupid gentiles they claim arent smart enough to Govern ourselves. They claim they are the Chosen People and we arent humans we are just dumb animals and have to be taught how to serve them as their slaves. They claim they are the Messiah and will rule over all people and the planet when they announce the arrival of their KING in Israel. As above so below, order out of chaos? Our God is the author of truth not chaos. Chaos has its own book its called the Talmud, the opinions of the rabbis. Theres a reason the Israeli flag has two inverted pyramids on it. Theres a reason they have a pyramid inside their Supreme Court building, theres a reason theres a pyramid on the back of our dollar bill and theres a reason we are 22 trillion dollars in debt yet pay welfare payments to a foreign entity while members of our Government sign pledges in our name to support an obvious lie. When the conversation starts with as long as we claim to have good intentions it forgives the evil of our actions then their can be no dialogue, no freedom, no human dignity, no morals, no honor and without question no peace. There is no peace for the wicked said the Lord to the house of Israel.... Peace wont come until you see the New Jerusalem decending out of heaven from God our Creator. Jesus told us where to find him, he came to show us the way, he made it perfectly clear money has nothing to do with God by asking one simple question, whose picture is on it? We arent slaves and this isnt their planet. All authority of our Republic rests with our will to govern ourselves not to be dictated too by kings or queens or titles or dictator tyrants. Until we pick up our crown and let the God of life fill our temple with his light nothing will change....
Posted by Joe
Why Some Americans Vote Democrat
The liberal agenda is so extreme, it makes sense that the vast majority of those who vote democrat are only choosing the lesser of two evils, just like many of those who vote republican. They’re open to many conservative ideas, even though they certainly don’t agree with all of them. They’re far from being loyal to the liberal agenda. -- Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
" Who's on First? " ???
Joe, what's left of your mind is in the dugout. You seem to think that we Jews --- God's Chosen --- who ACCEPT Judaism as given in the Torah and the Talmud, are in a plot to do do others out of their rightful place on this planet. ............ Do you therefore prefer Jews who do NOT accept themselves as chosen, as (for example) Harvey Weinstein, or (for another example) the late Jeffrey Epstein? THEY are two fallen-off non-Jewish Jews who totally agree with you over the issue of us Jews being Chosen. (At least Harvey anyway; Jeffrey is no longer around to stand up for his (non-) beliefs.)
Posted by Allan
Why Some Hispanics Voted for Trump
I remember hearing that about 25% of Hispanic voters chose Trump. It makes sense that many native-born Hispanics are sick and tired of being associated with illegal immigration, strongly in favor of defending our southern border. Trump’s infamous speech describing Mexicans as drug dealers and rapists can be easily seen as referring specifically to illegal immigrants and not to Mexicans in general. Trump’s comment about not being able to get a fair trial from a native-born judge with Mexican ancestry, however, crosses the line as racist. So why would Hispanics still vote for Trump? Because before the election, many people believed that the rest of the government would protect Americans from a racist president’s bigotry. -- Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
Reducing So-Called Global Warming
Not all, but many of the efforts to reduce so-called man-made global warming have advantages in other areas. For example, a privately owned and operated mass transit system, in addition to reducing so-called greenhouse gases, would also reduce other pollutants made from burning gasoline, plus reduce our reliance on foreign oil. And since it’s privately owned and operated, this can be done WITHOUT burdening the taxpayer. -- Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
An Article of a Pro-Life view from a Liberal Perspective
vox.com/2019/3/27/18194710/abortion-will-be-considered-unthinkable-50-years-from-now
Posted by Tru
No, you don’t need to be a liberal to find fault with Trump.
You really don’t. -- Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
High-profile politicians are undeserving of much praise.
They put too much priority into their careers as public figures and not enough priority into what’s good for America. This includes Trump just as much as it does the liberals. The other conservatives, too. -- Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
Trump took money from FEMA to fund border security.
Aren’t there enough pork barrel projects to take money from instead? -- Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
There’s more to how society functions than government policy.
What can we do in the private sector? -- Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
Conservatives Having Liberal Opinions
I DO think that most conservatives are open to an occasional liberal idea. I’ll even go as far as say that they have more liberal opinions than they’d like to admit. -- Tru Cola
Posted by Tru
A Word About Conservative Ideology
It has a lot of good ideas. LOTS of them. But some pretty bad ones, too. And a push to follow the whole thing as one big packaged deal. I’d rather take each issue one at a time. If most of my opinions happen to be conservative and I always vote republican, so be it, but I still won’t call myself a conservative. -- Tru Cola
Posted by Tru