Many of us worry about climate change. Any strange weather prompts us to wonder if that is a sign of such. There are many differing opinions about potential causes & cures. As a society we haven’t come to a unified conclusion. While all this worries me, I am even more immediately concerned about the political climate of our country. Recent events have thrown this into bold relief. Here, too, there are many differing views with very little scientific or historical data to help us sort it out. Common sense would seem to indicate that the situation will not be helped by angry words, insults, & accusations. This is not the first time such extreme rhetoric has existed in America. Reading the newspaper accounts of the Lincoln – Douglas election shows an earlier example of attack speech & writing. Maybe it is just a longing for a gentler time, but it feels like there have been times when we assumed that people on differing sides of national issues generally had the best interest of America at heart even when we disagreed about what that “best” would be. Increasingly now, there is a questioning of everyone’s motives. People often cast their opponents in the role of villains rather than colleagues in the work of the country. I do not know the solutions to our present conflicts, but a first step might be to lower the volume & tone of our disagreements. To use an extreme example, it is not free speech to yell “fire” in a crowded theater when there is no fire. Perhaps we need to substitute responsible speech for the extremes of free speech.