Understanding or Destructiveness

Or a mixture of the two.

I think, the two parts of the American personality are at war, and they seem evenly matched.

This seems to be the situation now, as a Federal Shutdown has begun - and no one knows what to make of it. "A government shutdown should not be part of the budget negotiation any more than chemical warfare should be a part of war,” says veteran GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander.

But no one is interested in my explanation. Perhaps they do not want to know how bad they can be - in spite of the lessons of history, that have shown, over and over - that we can be, as evil as we can possibly be. And this contradiction was built into our Christian heritage. Where the Crucifixion is central to its theology.

Americans, however, refuse to accept this possibility. And refuse is too mild a word for their violent . dismissal.