I'm a liberal columnist in a small town in the Bible Belt; perhaps you've heard of Lynchburg, VA -- the headquarters of Jerry Falwell's evangelical empire.

From my small house, right down the street from Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church, I've written thousands of essays espousing my liberal philosophy.

This is America, where we cherish the Constitution, and regardless of our political orientation, we can all get along, right?

Wrong. Unlike the United Kingdom, we are not divided by class, but increasingly we are divided by politics. There is a wide chasm between the red state/blue state of minds, that seemingly can't be bridged by our common love of freedom and democracy.

In Lynchburg, I'm not known as a newspaper columnist or as an accomplished writer, but as a godless Liberal. The Lynchburg Ledger is planing on putting my mug shot in a billboard with a caption stating that I've been quoted in the "New York Times". Terrific, in the minds of most of the fine citizens of Lynchburg, that's equivalent to getting a seal of approval from the Anti-Christ.

My acquaintances and co-workers  can be proud of my success as a writer, and still be critical of my political views --without summarily dismissing me as a left-wing radical.

People are so on edge these days; I'm even afraid to ask anyone for directions. "If you weren't such a lousy liberal, you would know that the bank is right next to the First Baptist Church."

You used to be able to disagree with folks and still be friends, but now an individual who doesn't share your political ideology is an enemy, and a threat to mom, apple pie and democracy.

The political process is grid locked because there is too much animosity. You can disagree with Bush's foreign policy, without labeling him a warmonger. You can be at odds with someone who is pro-choice, without calling him a baby killer. You can be against gay marriage, without accusing proponents of seeking to destroy the family.

Unfortunately, when they discuss politics and current events, too many Americans have a penchant for denigrating, dismissing and demanding. They denigrate anyone who belongs "to the other party." They dismiss "whole cloth" their opponents arguments. And they demand that even those who agree with them do so without any reservations. 

We need more nuance and less strident rhetoric in our political discourse. We need more bipartisanship and less cliquishness in the halls of Congress. We need more polite words and less angry epithets in everyday conversations. We need less Rush Limbaugh "dittoheads" and more informed citizens who can see both sides of an issue.

I look forward to the day when people will think of me as "the columnist from the Lynchburg Ledger" and not as "that Liberal idiot who thinks he is a writer."

In the immortal words of Rodney King: "Can we all just get along?"

Robert Paul Reyes

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