This time of year

*****The following is an e-mail that I sent out today, but I wanted to share it more openly*****

To all my friends,

I rarely every send out an e-mail to the vast majority of my mailing list, I do it today because I'm worried. Not about the "Reagan Coalition", or that the world is going to hell in a hand basket, but that we are not looking with a critical eye at the people who are vying to become the next President of our country. This election season we've seen some of the most shameful examples of the "Politics of Personal Destruction", from Hillary and Bill Clinton overtly playing the race card, to last week John McCain so distorted Mitt Romney's words that news papers that had endorsed him called him on it. The scariest part of this to me is that we as a country have become so divided that we can't even see the things that make us the same.

In during World War II, before the U.S.'s official involvement, there were several groups that openly apposed our joining of the war. Some of them were sympathetic to the Socialist aspects of Germanys NAZI party, while most of them were just Pacifists that opposed violence in any form. It was important for all sides to be heard, it was even more important for us to support our country while we were at war. During WWII the film industry in Hollywood cranked out pro-American films as fast as they could. How many films have come out in the last seven years that bare a patriotic pro-USA, pro-Military message? How many that have an anti-USA or anti-Military message? Though there were many people in the film industry whose political ideologies were much more in line with those of the National Socialist movement, they adopted the attitude of a family.

My brother and I used to beat the pulp out of each other at the slightest provocation, but if anyone else tried to beat my brother up they had to go through me too. That is the way I feel about this country. I may not agree with your politics or the candidate that you are planning on voting for, but I will fight for your right to make those decisions. I will continue to stand by our soldiers in the Middle East, the same way I stood by them in every other conflict that they have been in.

As for the person who eventually becomes the 44th President of the United States of America, I have just a quick thing to say to you. While I may be frustrated by decisions you will make (that goes for either party), I respect you, because I respect the office. Be worthy of that respect, live your life in a moral and decent way. Treat your fellow man with respect for their hard work, and remember just because you can do something doesn't make it right.

Sincerely,
Michael Skembo