In 1858 a homespun, self educated hometown lawyer and a powerful, well educated incumbent Senator from the state of Illinois held a series of seven debates. The debates were meant to influence the voters of Illinois to elect either Republicans or Democrats as State Legislators. Since at that time the legislatures, not the voters, of the various states elected the men who would serve as their Senators in the U.S. Senate, the debates had great significance. The participants in those debates were Republican Abraham Lincoln and Democrat Stephen Douglas. The “hot button” issue of the day was the institution of slavery, and whether it would be allowed in future states as they came into the Union. As a result, you could say that Lincoln and Douglas were debating to determine the soul of our society and through it the future of our nation.

Shortly, there will be another series of debates. These between Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. As in the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the candidates could  not be more diametrically opposed in their viewpoints. Republican Lincoln opposed slavery, and Democrat Douglas defended it. Trump and Clinton will be addressing many issues, but none more important that of open borders and unrestricted immigration. For this country to survive and thrive we must control both. We are a nation of immigrants. There is no debating that fact. However, we are also a nation of legal immigrants. Since our nation was formed, we have accepted people of all races, colors and creeds to “The Great Melting Pot” that is America. Those people were drawn to the beacon of hope and liberty that we represent. They observed our laws, learned our language, and respected our customs. They gladly swore an oath to respect and defend our Constitution. They wanted to become Americans!

Now, large numbers of individuals have been allowed to enter and remain in our country in direct contravention of our laws. They brazenly wave the flags of the countries of their birth while they desecrate our own. They refuse to learn our language. They demand we speak their language and print official documents in same. They demand we respect their customs. Something is very wrong with that concept. That is not becoming an American.

With the serious threats this country faces from within and without there never was a time in our history that it was more vital that we come together as one people. That is why our national motto is “E Pluribus Unum”, “Out of many, One”. From what I can see, one party is pushing us into boxes labeled by race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual preference. It talks about “Stronger Together” but it’s actions are driving us apart. The other party says we should  be proud to be an American, and says we can “Make America Great Again”. It councils us to respect our laws and the law enforcement people who protect us. It says we need secure borders and to control who is allowed to enter our country.  It promotes personal responsibility and fiscal restraint.

We have a responsibility as citizens to pay attention to the issues, listen to the debates and vote on November 8th. If we don’t do that, we will have to accept the outcome, for good or ill.