On November 3, all the newly-elected and the survivors of the recent political battles must wake up from the parties and realize a sobering fact: the way forward for America is hard. The difficulties have been exacerbated by Obama’s policies, but neither he nor one political party are responsible for our current state. Our challenges have been a century in the making, with the last forty years accelerating trends of prior generations.

As we approach the 2010 midterm elections, prognostications are everywhere about the extent of the Republican gains and the fractures in the Democratic Party. Of course, two years ago, the Republicans were deeply divided and the Democrats were unstoppable behind their leader of hope and change. Politics is a fickle enterprise and the patience of the electorate is not endless.

It is fun to read bumper stickers. My travels take me to many locales across America, and I am intrigued by the language of these ubiquitous message boards.

Today is the ninth anniversary of…my oldest son’s 18th birthday. As we were preparing to celebrate this milestone, multiple attacks stunned our nation and forever changed how we see September 11. There are so many images and words filling the media spaces that I wondered what I could add to the mix.