By David Hegg

Anyone playing with open eyes and an open mind can see Americans are becoming much too comfortable with a culture of conflict. From the halls of government to the studios of media and even families’ living rooms, we have seriously eroded the idea that we are “one nation under God.” One wonders if the American experiment to form “a more perfect union” is facing an unstoppable storm of prideful dogmatism and the devastating animus that inevitably accompanies it.

It isn’t just that our perspectives divide us. In recent years, we have seen a severe erosion in civility. It is not uncommon to hear leaders and followers calling their opponents names that are not only rude but also relatively crude. What was once disallowed in kindergarten has now become a commonly reported issue in the media. It seems vulgar language, once punished with a soap washing of the mouth, has been granted a societal stamp of approval.

In response, occasionally, someone with standing tries to plaster over the cracks of competitive disunity and derision, with an emotional plea to put aside our differences, join hands, and sing some version of........

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