Uncertainty of nation fuels tension in U.S.

It seems to me there is a feeling of tension in the air fueled by the political decisions facing this nation later this year.

A growing number of Americans are increasingly worried over the future of this great nation in ways I've never experienced.

By any measure, the past seven years have brought neither peace nor prosperity as was promised.

In fact, the opposite is the reality.

But the core of the growing concern is not necessarily the battles in the Mideast nor the saber-rattlings of the North Koreans.

The underlying issue is the polarization and violence on American streets. And though the national media is largely silent on the issue, most Americans are not fooled -- we can see, hear and read without the help of the national media and we know our world is more dangerous today than it has been in many years.

For most Americans, this concern has yet to rise to the level of fear. But that could well change in the months ahead.

Words like "revolution" and "vigilantes" are being increasingly heard. And underlying this chilling forecast is the massive cultural division that is gripping this nation.

There has been and always will be legitimate divisions on how best to guide this ship of state. Maybe it's the tone that has changed. Maybe it is something much deeper.

We are being systematically barraged by urban violence that seems to have no end; by a growing disdain among some for our military might; and a massive push back against deeply held religious beliefs.

In a twist of irony, as I was writing today's column I received an alert from the Associated Press on a series of articles they will release beginning this week.

The series is titled "Divided America" and here is how AP describes this massive divide.

"It's the 1 percent vs. the 99 percent. Rural vs. urban. Climate doubters clash with believers. Bathrooms have become battlefields, borders are battle lines. Sex and race, faith and ethnicity -- the melting pot is boiling over."

"Is America still one nation, indivisible, or has it become a Divided America?

The questions asked by the Associated Press are the same questions I am asking.

Have we, at long last, reached a point where the great experiment of America simply no longer works because of these stark divisions? Are the basic tenants of freedom, liberty and personal initiative evaporating before our eyes with the explosion of the federal government control under this administration?

Come November -- more than any November in the history of this nation -- America will finally answer the questions.

We'll either restore the basic principles that have long guided this country or we will evolve into a nation of government control that will surely mark the end of this great experiment.