A taboo—and urgent—strategy to save the nation and our Democracy
Clearly, the way to reunite the country is not to be found in presidential debates. Here’s a better idea.
The following idea is as American as apple pie, older than the Declaration. But partisan propagandists have succeeded at turning it into a taboo subject.
It’s called compromise.
I do not suggest compromise between partisans. Clearly that won’t work today.
I am talking about compromise between people, heart to heart. The kind of compromise Thomas Jefferson made when he wrote the Declaration. There were no parties then. There were only people. Individuals assessing issues of importance to them. Then it was imperative that all people unite to fight a war for our independence.
The first draft of the Declaration called for an end to the slave trade —and it passed by seven of 13 colonies. Today that would be enough for partisans: a majority! But majority was NOT enough for the founders. They knew, to beat the enemy, they needed consensus. All hands on deck. Unanimous. United.
So they did the thing that was not taboo then at all.
They were civil.
They listened to the minority.
And they compromised.
Jefferson was likely just as abhored by the concept of three-fifths of a person as we are today. But they agreed to that ridiculous notion because it was imperative the country unite in the face of their enemy. Unity was the priority. Compromise was essential.
They had to trust the issue of emancipation for another day. Thank God they did. Can you imagine what the world might be like if the states had not united?
Today, unity is imperative again
One issue exists today that is as much of a deal-killer as slavery was in 1776. And herein lies our wonderful opportunity.
If the founders could compromise and bridge the divide then, we certainly can bridge the divide today.
This one issue, though, like compromise, has become a taboo topic within the mainstream Democratic party. And that is a problem. One cannot compromise on an issue that is taboo to talk about. You have to be able to talk about something if you’re going to come to an agreement.
Progressives and mainstream Democrats must open a heart-to-heart dialogue and compromise with pro-life Democrats.
Yes, pro-life Democrats. They exist.
Pro-life Dems are a minority within the Democratic Party. Just like the six colonies. Their issue is the lynchpin key to re-uniting America.
If we embrace Pro-life Dems, we can open a home in the big tent for large numbers of Americans fed up with the cult of Trump, who long for a warm hearth and open arms.
Here’s how to unite America
First, acknowledge the distinguishing differences.
Pro-life Dems value all life, for whole life. They recognize the interconnectedness of all life and seek to value, protect, and sanctify all throughout the entire lifecycle, from conception to the grave.
Pro-life Dems further recognize that protecting planetary environmental life-support systems are crucial to being pro-life. Poisoning children and women (and men and boys) harms future unborn babies for generations. Thus, protecting the air, the water, the soils, and the food-chain from toxic chemicals is part and parcel to being a Pro-life Dem. This is a very biblical perspective as well. Mankind’s divine purpose from Genesis 2:15 is to take care of, love all, and be a steward over the earth—not a rapist.
That distinction that has not yet found fertile ground with Republicans.
Biden and Harris — change the Democratic Party platform ASAP
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and party leaders — immediately call for a meeting with the leaders of the minority pro-Life Dem faction. Hold it on Zoom. The purpose: add a Pro-Life Dems plank to the Party platform. Here is a first draft concept of a compromise.
A. Whereas the Democratic party, being the party that protects the most vulnerable members of society, does hereby recognizes that all human life—regardless of age or developmental stage—deserves bonafide protection.
B. Whereas pro-life Dems also acknowledge the sanctity of each individual life including the lives of all women, and whereas we trust in the divine gift of free will given to her, we acknowledge that it is crisis that is the root cause of abortion. Therefore, it is in the interest of the Democratic party to prevent crisis including the crisis that would be incurred by having a government or any man violate any part of or control a woman’s body or her life. All humans deserve protection from violation or control of all parts of the human body, including women, girls, men, boys, and other genders that now exist—recognizing all bodies are sacred and worthy of protection. This protection extends to include peoples’ minds and free will.
C. Mainstream Dems hereby compromise to allow and support laws calling for good faith waiting periods, use of ultrasounds, psychological counseling, spiritual counseling, adoption counseling, and referrals to adoption agencies—when administrated honestly in alignment with A and B above.
D. Pro-life Dems therefore agree to support the re-aligning of the American system to provide life support, financially and otherwise, for women and children of all ages, including protection from physical, mental, and emotional harm and abuse, including but not limited to safe housing, healthcare before and after birth, education, and increase of minimum wage structures to be life supporting, living wages everywhere.
E. Mainstream Dems, acknowledging D, afford the most vulnerable legal protection including both mothers and the potential lives they carry, at all stages from conception through birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, trusting the hearts of mothers who are safe and protected from their own harm will stop choosing abortion, and do the right thing. That all such support is to be supplied as needed not just while pregnant but throughout life, before and after — as is done in other developed countries.
F. In exchange, pro-life Dems affirm and support wage parity to men because women equal treatment under the law and eliminates financial crisis. AFTER going through all of the waiting period, counseling, financial support, adoption resources, and more, abortion will remain the final option. Further, the ultimate decision of what any individual women does, after exercising all of these means, is to be honored as private, between a woman, her God, and her doctor. And her doctor or other counselors and advisors are to also be protected.
In other words, in exchange for eliminating all possible existential crises including financial, abortion will remain a last resort legally protected option for women to exercise control over their lives and bodies.
G. In exchange, mainstream Dems, united with Pro-Life Dems by the value of all life, support the institution of positive systems to track and monitor counseling and women’s choices, while respecting individual privacy, with all agreeing to work together steadily towards reducing the number of abortions.
In other words, improve the conditions of society for all, which will make the choice for life a no-brainer. As it is in most other developed countries around the world.
H. Pro-life and mainstream Dems call for creation of a Department of Humane Peace to be led by pro-life Dems, in league with NGOs, that recognize the sanctity of all life, that will serve to evaluate and score accordingly all governmental policy and decisions as they impact life-supporting and life-enhancing effects for seven generations into the future, and to make these scores transparent to the voting public, so that voters and policy makers can be guided by decisions of humane peace for the long-term.
I. Further, in exchange for valuing all life, we work together to save innocent lives by improving quality of life for all women with the unified goal of making abortion reduction a top priority, thus settling the most divisive issue, and compromise as well that life does not begin at either conception or birth — but that all life is a continuum. That our role as human beings is to be loving responsible caregivers of that life. That every woman and every man is responsible for the spark of life that gets passed along, to future generations. And so we therefore seek to create a more just, sane, loving, and humane world that values, honors, enhances, and appreciates all life on the planet, in its divine diversity.
The Department of Humane Peace will further study of global practices of incarceration methods that are most humane and effective at rehabilitation, and modify our criminal justice system to replace the death penalty with such humane mental health treatment options, and support changes in our system accordingly.
We compromise in recognizing the sanctify of all planetary life, of all genders, of all conditions, of all ages, for seven generations into the future, and seek to eliminate all existential threats to any from violence of any kind.
We compromise to allow as a last resort only early-stage, pre-viable abortions to remain protected as legal, agreeing it to be the least desirable choice of last resort for women, while sanctifying the rights of women to free will and control their bodies and destinies, while at the same time also respecting the life that they carry.
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We must at this time exercise the highest form of intelligence, as F. Scott Fitzgerald described. We must be able accept the idea of being both Pro-life and Pro-choice at the same time, and compromise on this keystone issue. We do so not to “win” an election as if it is a game, but to soothe, to heal the divisions, and restore function and unity for the benefit of future generations.
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This year, the election is a choice between Democracy and Fascism
This election is most decidedly NOT about partisan winning or losing.
We either hand the reins to a cult-leader tyrant who would have his followers throw themselves on the sword of a deadly virus, sacrifice the lives of youth by leading them to break the law and become vigilante assassins, and destroy public trust in all institutions — schools, the post office, and the very vote—shredding the constitution for good.
Or we prevent civil war by prioritizing unity through compromise with minorities, over the one issue that is a deal breaker.
Because if we do not unite, we can kiss it all goodbye.