February 2001 Vol.4, No. 2

Contents Quake in Gujarat: Foretaste of the Future?    by Matthew Fenchel Germany and Russia-Shifting Balance of Power    by Melvin Rhodes When the Angel Leaves the Storm    by Darris McNeely In Brief...World News Review    by Cecil E. Maranville This is the Way...Sharing the Front Porch    by Robin Webber This Is the Way... Sharing the Front Porch by Robin Webber Last month, on a dreary winter's day in Washington D.C., something marvelous occurred that captured my imagination. On the one hand, it was startling, and on the other, it was routine, something that occurs like clockwork every four years on the steps of the Capitol of the United States. We all tend to view a snippet or two of this historic event on our televisions, but allow me to focus a zoom lens on a specific setting and then freeze frame it in our collective view. It's the picture of political foes coming together. Yes, they are implacable, seemingly irreconcilable opponents who have waged an exhaustive campaign for the presidency of the United States and thereby control of the national agenda for the next four years. No expense has been spared, whether of money, campaign stops, photo ops, sound bites or demeaning caricatures of their rival. Indeed, all-out political warfare has been waged. Nonetheless, now at this supreme moment of the republican ideal of the peaceful transfer of power to another citizen of the land, everyone is there together to watch and embrace, if only for a moment. The steps of the national Capitol have often been called "democracy's front porch." A front porch is a powerful emblem in the mind of anyone who has a home. It is where we come and go. It is where we intersect with family and neighbors. It is where we "put out our welcome mat," both literally and figuratively. Our front porch light bids "welcome" to those who would come in from the cold and the dark. Simply put, our front porch says something about us. The "nation's front porch" on this given day says something about America. It says something about its citizens, whether Republican, Democrat or independent. It says that America is built on an ideal that is bigger and greater than the sum total of any individual or particular party's platform. At this moment in time all agendas, ideas and perceptions lie subordinate and prostrate before the greater ideal of "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0102/theway0102.htm Related Information on UCG Sites: Table of Contents that includes "Sharing the Front Porch" Other Articles by Robin Webber U.S. politics: _Politics and Religion _A Lesson From U.S. Election Fever _World Watches U.S. Post-Election Predicament _U.S. Election Crisis - End of Political Stability? _The power of the Chad _Ever Increasing Crime -- Will It Ever End? _Jails Overflow, While Justice Flags _World News Review July 2004 _Different Elections -- Same Issues _Enduring Words _Wrestling With God: A Political and Moral Dilemma _Republican Dynasties: A Growing Trend _Could Jesus Christ Be Elected President? _How Significant Is the Race for the White House? (2000) _The U.S. Election: The Value of Political Stability _Ronald Reagan: In His Own Words _How Significant Is the Race for the White House? _The U.S. Supreme Court: Presidential Decisions Impact National Morality _Election Year Religion Search Our Site Key Subjects Index General Topics Index Biblical References Index Good News Magazine Index Booklets and All Literature Index Home Page of this site