The Saturday Minnesota Star Tribune main headline was clear enough: “Dems acquiesce to prevent shutdown“.

Anyone who follows national news has read/heard all about it, so no need to go into detail.

Elsewhere on the front page were other headlines “U approves limits on faculty speech…Resolution gives president broad control over communications”; “So why the big turnout on Tuesday” in a local legislative special election; “After Park Tavern crash, bills target DWI offenders“; “Witness doesn’t back high meal counts in fraud trial“.

All of these relate to “government”.  The only one I want to comment on is the first one, about the continuing resolution vote around the federal budget.

It is hardly secret that we in the U.S. are in a constant state of war these days.  It is not “war” in the traditional sense, such as WWII, or Iraq or such.  It is totally an internal matter, citizen versus citizen; who has the power, who has less; fights over strategy and tactics, most of which the general public doesn’t understand in any context, other than in casual conversation usually with people they agree with (in war, you don’t talk with the enemy).

To the immediate issue, the front page headline, I tend to empathize with Democratic leader Schumer and the 9 other Democrats who made a decision to back the C.R. vote.

Like everyone else, all I know is what I hear or read at a distance.  I’m not privy to the nuance of conversations among ‘combatants’ on the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ side.  It is a deadly serious game, with long-term consequences.  There is a need for a cool head who’s willing to take the heat, regardless of the risk.  And I give Senator Schumer that respect.

It is not unusual in our hierarchical human race for leaders to face such dilemmas.

At the end of WWII, Harry Truman became President coincident with the last weeks of the war in Europe; and was the one who had to make the decision about whether or not to use the Bomb against Japan in August 1945.  As the sign said on the Resolute Desk, “The Buck Stops Here”.

In June, 1944, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower was the one holding the bag on whether or not with respect to D-Day.  The outcome was not at all sure, to the extent that he penned a note prior to the invasion taking full responsibility in case it failed.    Here for more information.

Of course, there are infinite other examples in the history of every society ever.

Fast forward to today, we are engaged in a Civil War within our own nation, where the weapons are words and division of citizens into warring camps.

We are seeing the results of division; and hopefully those who follow us will not reap the consequences of current actions.  What happens is up to us as individuals.  This is no time to stay on the sidelines.