Four Quick Hits on What’s Happening.

Folks, there is a bunch of stuff going on and there is an even bigger bunch of stuff around the corner that is going to rock the political world.  Let’s all hope that the rocking occurs in a positive way.  Here are some brief comments on four of those upcoming features.

New and Improved SCOTUS.  Rumors are becoming rampant that Justice Kennedy’s retirement is imminent.  Kennedy is the swing vote on the current court and his replacement will have an absolutely seismic impact on the SCOTUS and its decisions that drive our American society and culture.  We now have four reliably liberal votes on the Court with Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan, and Ginsburg.  We also have four reliably conservative votes in the persons of Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, and Roberts.  The prospect of naming this pivotal fifth justice for a solid conservative majority on the Court (likely for decades to come) is what motivated many, many people to vote for Donald Trump.  Not because his conservative bona fides were so glowing; but because Hillary Clinton’s liberal bona fides were so radiant.  A very strong and compelling argument can be made that this one single concern put Trump into the Presidency. 

5…five…5…five…5…five…5…five…5…five……FIVE VOTES.  Not to be overly dramatic, but it is kind of a big deal.

Health Care Reform…Do or Die.  Against all odds and predictions, the House passed their health care reform bill and then passed the baton to the Senate.  Three weeks ago, no sane person thought the Senate would carry the baton across the finish line.  Now, all indications are that at some point in the next few days, the Senate will approach the finish line with that baton in hand.  I’m not sure that any one person fully comprehends the complex, colossal, and gargantuan ball of wax that is this nation’s health care industry.  At some point in time, about seven years ago, there was a pre-Obamacare situation and a post-Obamacare situation; each was a choice.  It was actually a fairly clear choice between a free-market oriented health care system or a government driven health care system.  Once that choice became Obamacare, the genie was out of the bottle and it is likely impossible to extricate the fingers of the government from the entrails of health care.  Therefore, the real issue on health care reform isn't whether or not we should repeal Obamacare.  Reality has taken shape in the form of inadequate Republican majorities in the House and Senate to pass routine legislation on party-line votes, the passage of time that has allowed Obamacare to become entrenched in our health care system, and the belief held by many that personal health care is a right and not a privilege.  This reality demands that government will be heavily involved in health care and the pre-Obamacare dreams of many are simply false hopes.  The questions currently before us are how much government involvement will there be and exactly how will that involvement be implemented.   The two best sources I know for those seeking answers to these questions are Yuval Levin and Avik Roy; both render fair, thoughtful, and easily understood summaries of the House and Senate health care reform efforts and how they should be considered.  If you want the skinny on the health care debate (and you should, because you will be paying), check out this article and its embedded links @ http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/448946/assessing-senate-health-care-proposal-yuval-levin. 

Will the Sheet be Pulled Back on the Trump-Russia Farce?  It is still in play and a bit premature to render any lasting verdict on this particular kabuki dance, but there have been a couple of extremely interesting disclosures in this area that have recently come to light.  The first one is the apparent effort of the Obama Administration people who are handling their archive records attempting to shield some of Susan Rice’s work from Congressional investigative committees.  The Obama folks have sealed up and are transferring the records pertaining to Rice’s unmasking activities to the Obama Presidential Library folks.  Now why on earth do you suppose they would do that?  Additionally, get familiar with the term Fusion GPS.  It appears that this entity may be the outfit that started the whole Trump-Russia story and it is very revealing when you consider the composition of the entity and its genesis.  As I said, the jury is still out, but this particular article may be giving us a glimpse of what might lead to a gigantic collapse and some very embarrassed people…@ http://nypost.com/2017/06/24/inside-the-shadowy-intelligence-firm-behind-the-trump-dossier/.  Imagine for a moment what the impact will be on Special Counsel Mueller’s dream team if this story line proves to be true…All dressed up with no party to attend.

Who’s the Man?  Mitch is the Man!  Once again, it is a fool’s errand to predict the political future for WDC; but consider for a moment a few “what ifs”.  What if Justice Kennedy does, in fact, announce his retirement in the next few days?  What if the Senate does, in fact, manage somehow to pass a health care reform bill in the next few days?  What if, in fact, the House manages to pass a tax reform bill and sends it over to the Senate?  If all of these occurrences do transpire, then it is likely that the most powerful man in WDC will not be sitting in the Oval Office.  He will be occupying the Majority Leader’s office in the U.S. Senate and his name will be Mitch McConnell.  And whether you like him or not in a personal sense…if you are a conservative, these issues could not be in better hands.

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The Height of Stupidity.

I have oftentimes written about how perplexing it is to watch Republicans repeatedly bring knives to gunfights with Democrats.  To their credit as a political party, the Democrats can unify and form a united front so much more effectively than the Republicans.  In fact, there are times when the political savvy of the Republicans seems so inept that it almost laughable.  We are looking straight down the barrel of one of those times.

The appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller by Deputy Attorney General Jay Rosenstein, made possible by the curious recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is an inexplicable effort by the Trump Administration to somehow snatch defeat from the jaws of victory; to mess up a good thing; to fix something that is clearly not broken; and to seek turmoil and trouble where none exists.  Although the “Trump Campaign Russian Collusion” investigation has been written about extensively, no one has done a better job than Andrew C. McCarthy of summarizing the situation.  Read his excellent piece here @ https://amgreatness.com/2017/06/21/muellers-empire-legions-lawyers-bottomless-budget-limitless-jurisdiction/. 

Now when all is said and done (that may perhaps be in this lifetime), some person associated with the Donald Trump Campaign organization might be found to have colluded with the Russians to win the 2016 Presidential Election; but do not bet the farm on it.  The known facts are that for over a year (much of which actually transpired prior to the election),   every stone has been turned over by troves of investigators attempting to find some semblance of evidence or proof that this collusion did, in fact, occur.  Nothing has been discovered.  Does any rational person think that if some scrap of hard proof had been discovered, it would not be public by now?  Every person in a position of authority has repeatedly denied that any such proof or connection exists.  Respected Democrats in positions of authority and leadership within their party have themselves stated that no evidence exists to support these collusion allegations.  Ex-Director of the FBI James Comey himself acknowledged informing President Trump on three separate occasions that he was not under investigation.  And in spite of this sea of reason indicating the absence of any such collusion, elected Democrats in WDC and their media accomplices have constantly chirped away in breathless fashion about this supposed conspiracy and how it has undermined the very foundations of our nation.  In my time of observing politics as an unconnected bystander, I have never seen more noise and attention given to a matter of lesser substance.  The Department of Justice, the office of the Attorney General, and several Committees in both Houses of Congress are officially vested with the authority to investigate matters of this persuasion; but for some inexplicable reason, those resources seem inadequate to solve this mystery without a plot.  We now have an Abomination of Justice under the guise of the Special Counsel; an appointment that history has taught us is fraught with rancor, poisonous partisanship, and most of all, a colossal and inexcusable waste of taxpayer dollars.  It is nothing less than an all-star team of legal wizards in search of a tournament in which to compete.

And at whose doorstep should we lay the blame for bringing this glorified fishing expedition upon our government?  As irresponsible and unprofessional as they have been, the media cannot be blamed for this Special Counsel (whom they have so warmly embraced since his inception).   The Democrats in WDC do not hold majority status in either house of Congress and they do not possess the White House; they cannot be held responsible for Mr. Mueller and his merry band of lawyers.  There are many Obama-holdovers in various Departments that have made it a religious quest to resist all things Trump since the new President took office; but they can only feed the beast that rips and claws at the Administration’s heels on a daily basis.  They leak, they obstruct, they plot and devise internal strategies that help to make our government ineffective and inefficient; but they have no authority to set up a Special Counsel with all the fixings.  Attorney General Sessions voluntarily removed himself from the decision-making process in this whole episode under what many believe to be questionable grounds.  Citing the “public interest”, Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein then created the Special Counsel, with carte blanche resources and authorities, because he found it uncomfortable to do his job and conduct the inquiry himself.  All of this was done under the jurisdiction and authority of President Donald Trump.  He hired Sessions.  He acceded to Rosenstein’s appointment.  He has the clear authority to terminate the employment of both men and that clear authority extends to Special Counsel Mueller as well.  The President is the Top Dog in the Executive branch of government and all…ALL…of these people serve at his pleasure.

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I do not advocate that Sessions should be fired; although it is disappointing that he has come into a WDC cesspool of corruption like a wistful breeze and his first action of note was his recusal in this matter.  I thought that we might see a bit more assertiveness from Mr. Sessions.  Rosenstein was put in an impossible situation; but it is a situation that is covered by his job description and he is paid extremely well for addressing this type of proceeding.  I really find no reason why Mr. Rosenstein should not be relieved of his Deputy Attorney General duties and liberated to find a job that he might find less taxing or demanding.  As for Mr. Mueller, it is an extremely difficult call as to whether or not he should be terminated.  His appointment is clearly a sham and is nothing more than (in an oft used phrase) “an investigation in search of a crime”; but now that he exists, it is decidedly more difficult to eliminate him.  Many, many respected political leaders from both parties have stated that Mueller is a man of integrity and fairness; that he is well qualified to serve in the office to which he has been appointed.  But as Andy McCarthy states so very well…How can any reasonable person stand by, observe the team Mueller is assembling, and come away with anything but doubt about how objective this inquiry will turn out to be?   A strong, practical, and legal argument can be made for President Trump to fire Mueller tomorrow.  Such an action would be vehemently challenged and the howls and cries from the media and Democrats would make one believe the apocalypse is upon us.  But that would eventually pass.  On the other hand, if the President allows Mueller to form this army of Democratic partisans, gives them unfettered access to the private and personal lives of his Administration members, and permits them to operate under their current non-supervisory status with an unlimited budget; well then…he has only himself to blame for the unholy consequences that will likely ensue.

There should be proper Congressional oversight and the checks and balances between the three branches of our government must exist; but not in the extraordinary creation of a mythical and freelancing Special Counsel.  History has shown us the exercise of the Special Counsel option under both Democratic and Republican Administrations has repeatedly, and reliably, resulted in mission creep, decades of residual partisan rancor, a massive and pathetic waste of federal tax dollars, and the lessening of our governmental integrity that occurs every time elected or appointed officials refuse to step up and perform the job that they were either elected or hired to perform.  In my humble opinion, it is would be the height of stupidity for President Trump to allow Robert Mueller to continue as Special Counsel.  Mueller’s office and assembled hoard should be terminated post haste and their illegitimate genesis should become a footnote in the early chapters of the Trump Presidency.  If there is wrongdoing to be found in the area of Trump’s campaign with Russia, let the Department of Justice…or the House oversight committees…or the Senate oversight committees find it.   If Trump is ever going to become a strong leader, he best make the hard choice in this matter and get on with the real business of running this government.

America at the Ballpark.

Alright…here is the scene.  Some of you have been there, some are there, and some will be there.  The rest of you…there is a big piece of life missing from your book.  There are three major towns in my rural Kentucky County.  All three communities field girl’s fast-pitch softball teams and compete countywide.  It is really frustrating to travel the “up to 20-odd miles” between ballparks during the season; but it is great for the kids to play summer ball together.   Anyway, last night was the County Championship and I was on ballpark duty with my granddaughter.   She plays in the 7-9 year old bracket and they use a pitching machine.  Now when you deal with girls this age, the physical maturity range is shocking.  Some of the kids are actually not much taller than the bats they swing, while others tower over their teammates like amazons.  The ballparks where the championship was being played had four fields and all of the fields had tournament games ongoing; some with boys, some with girls, all with different age brackets.  It was a county fair atmosphere and parking was absolutely chaotic.

From behind the backstop down each baseline past the dugouts, parents and grandparents were lined up three and four-deep with their coolers and camping chairs.  The walkways between fields, dappled with shade trees, were filled with people like you would encounter at a college game or concert.  My granddaughter’s team showed up an hour early for batting practice and this might have been the kiss of death.  It seems that the attention span for this age group is somewhere in the range of 45-90 minutes and by game time, her team was a bit slow afoot and somewhat distracted.  They got blitzed in the early innings and even though they closed to within a run or two on occasion, they never quite caught up and lost the game 14-10.  Now here is the deal…Most, not all but most, of them could not care less that they had finished second and not first in the tournament.  There were moments when they showed some competitive spirit and the action rose up to a heated level; but during most of the game, the kids were oblivious to the fact that this was the final game of the season, for all the marbles, and the winner would be the Champion.  The spectators, on the other hand, were quite a different story.  There was an abundance of off-field coaching going on, shifting players here and there and shouting out hitting instructions; all of this, of course, greatly appreciated (Not!) by the coaches on the field.  But the really interesting part was the obvious stress levels being exhibited by the onlookers.  By the actions of many, you would have thought that the war of the worlds was ongoing and they were participating vicariously through their offspring.  Fathers, mothers, and grandparents would alternately go from madly clinging to the chain link fence surrounding the field to walking away and cooling off under the shade trees.  Some of the men didn’t need to flex; the tension filled their bodies like balloons.  Some of the women could not have had more blood in their eyes if they had just walked in on a cheating husband.  Thank goodness the umpire was a young kid; an adult likely would have been infected by the inflamed passion of the crowd and taken the on-field stress level to new heights.  When the game was over, the Champions celebrated like it was 1999 and most of the losing players celebrated pretty much the same way.  To them, the first place trophies did not look that much different than the second place trophies.  Now there were grown-ups stalking around post-game that obviously needed some more time to get over the loss; but they were not out of control and not too great in number.  Most folks just kind of grinned at them and understood how disappointed they were.  After the trophy presentations, my granddaughter and I hit the road, picked up pizza, and headed to the farm.

From the moment we left the ballpark to the time we later arrived at home,  I struggled with the question of whether or not we should have a discussion about winning and losing…about whether or not this particular game should have any impact as a life lesson for this formative child.  As an ex-coach myself, I shared my granddaughter’s coaches’ frustration with their team.  They appeared to have an edge in talent and simply did not make enough plays to win the game.  I know they had to be incredibly vexed that their kids waited until the biggest game of the year to mail it in.  I wanted so badly to emphasize to her how critical it is to bear down and do your best when the stakes are high.  But the bigger question was how do you determine what is the proper level of cognizance for a kid this age to have about winning or losing a championship summer league game?  Is it really important that they understand that this one game renders a lasting verdict on the quality of their season?  How firmly should they be grasping the concept of team and how overall strength hinges on the weakest link?  What about the fact that championship-type opportunities are limited in each life and we must appreciate the chance to rise up and prove ourselves when those rare moments occur?  So…full of supposed wisdom and conflicted by uncertainty about how to choose the right message, my granddaughter and I sat out on the porch after pizza and had a talk.

I covered all the items heretofore mentioned; with some extras thrown in about “why we keep score” and “establishing behavior lessons that will stay with you for the rest of your life”.  We talked about performing under pressure; about stepping up when times get tough.  We talked about how the easy way out is not always the best way.  After I was finished talking, there was silence as she sat curled up in my lap, there in the rocking chair on the porch looking out over the barn, the cattle, and the starry sky.  After a while, I asked her if she had any questions.  “No”, she replied.  “I just want to sit here in your lap for a while”.  I was left with that melancholy feeling that all parents and grandparents have when you are overwhelmed with love and caring, and yet wondering if what you tried to do will ever have any impact.  Perhaps I was just talking to myself and trying to reaffirm what I hoped was the way of the world.  Perhaps while I was being all Solomonic, she was counting stars in the sky.  My hope is that somewhere between my words, her parents’ raising, and her life experience, she will discover and master the balance between the importance of winning and the pride of competing at the highest level you are capable of.  I fervently hope that she understands that participation trophies are meaningless unless they have first or second engraved upon them.  It is my wish for her to seize these moments to prove to herself what she is capable of achieving through personal effort and sacrifice.  I do not want her to become an uber-competitive beast; but I also do not want her to become a malleable snowflake.  I want her to appreciate the value of honest effort and accomplishment.  I want her to live with purpose and not drift along aimlessly with the crowd about her.  But most of all, I stand in awe of this child’s ability to understand so clearly what the fevered crowd around her seems to miss.  Life is an adventure.  Every day is a new trip.  Sport is just a game and this loss is gone with tomorrow’s sunrise.  A celebration of competing is sufficient in the absence of victory.   I hope that she never loses that precious gift from God, as so many of us adults have over the years.  And that ephemeral and elusive balance; the one that so few of us ever fully comprehend, much less practice…Lord, how I pray she can find that balance.

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Somewhere, embroiled in this mosaic of a rural Kentucky summertime ritual, there is a larger lesson about what our national society has become and how we are evolving as people.  The children are the future and certainly the most precious asset that we hold.  The values and principles that those children bring to maturity with them will mold this country for their generation and those that come after.  Will they be compassionate, yet strong?  Will they be competitive, yet gracious?  Will they understand the tenet of self-accountability?  Will they be sufficiently independent, yet fully aware of a team concept?  And then there is the eternal question… how young is too young to begin the discussions about moving from childhood to adolescence?  I leave it to the few readers who follow this blog to draw conclusions on these questions.  I can only hope and pray that all of the answers are somewhere in those stars my precious granddaughter was studying so intensely while I was waxing so philosophically.  

Waiting For “4,5,6”.

I have written a couple of things previously that I want to revisit at this time.  Even though I still, in the main, agree with President Trump’s policies and appointments, I am dismayed by his learning curve in the Executive Office.  He’s got the “1,2,3” of the Presidency down.  He knows how to find his office; he apparently has his desk set up; there is a full White House staff; he has been across the pond to rub shoulders with foreign leaders; he has been through the obstacle course of a SCOTUS appointment; and the ACHA adventure in the House has demonstrated to him the nooks and crannies of the legislative process.  What he has not done is learn how to effectively use the levers of his new office to facilitate the implementation of his agenda.  He has not learned how to parlay his Republican majority in Congress into real legislative progress (granted…Congress deserves much blame also).  He has not reconciled to any degree his contentious relationship with the media.  His constant tweeting and rhetorical gymnastics severely hampers his message communication and quite frankly makes him look like he is “all over the board” when he is trying to set forth policy.  In short, he has yet to master the “4,5.6” of the Presidency and daylight is burning.  He seems to be stuck in a juvenile stage of political gamesmanship and either he enjoys it too much to evolve to a more effective method, his opponents are far more effective at the game than he is and they are making his job literally impossible, or he is quite simply “in over his head”.  The reality is probably a combination of all of these; but the fact is that if something in the Presidential formula does not change and change rather quickly, Trump’s tenure in the White House will be one characterized by turmoil, chaos, and unfinished ideals.  Regardless of who is right and who is wrong, Trump is the President and history will hold him accountable for his accomplishments…or lack thereof.  No one can help President Trump succeed more than himself.

I once wrote that if Donald Trump tried to run the Presidency the same way he operated as a CEO, it would not work out well.  Well…it ain’t working out well.  I suspect that a large part of the James Comey affair can be attributed to President Trump dealing with a Presidential subordinate the same way he dealt with corporate subordinates.  Clearly, civil service and politics are not the same as corporate structure and “making deals”.  This “he said, he said” episode between the President and the FBI Director (ex-Director) may develop into something significant; but for now it appears to be nothing more than a directive from a corporate supervisor to a corporate subordinate to “wrap this up and let’s move on”. 

Trump’s outsider quality is truly a double-edged sword.  His direct and business-like approach to his executive duties is a refreshing departure from past presidents; but his inability to either grasp or abide by the political nuances required of a President is perplexing.   There can be no doubt that many areas of the WDC swamp need draining; but is equally certain that a plumbing challenge this big must be approached with a certain degree of…shall we say…diplomacy.  There are cultures and habits in our government that need to be either reformed or dispatched; and some of that can be accomplished in a frank and transparent approach leading to quick and decisive action.  But other parts of the challenge need to be addressed within the structure of government itself; the changes must come from within.  It appears that as challenging as the Presidency is, the biggest hurdle for Trump to clear might be finding a sufficient number of competent people to staff his White House; people who are uniquely qualified to deal with a man as dynamic as Trump.  Every time his detractors seem to run out of arrows, he manages to somehow refill their quivers.  Every time he takes two steps forward, he insists on taking at least one step back.  The bright and shiny object always gets Trump’s attention and unfortunately, the object is not always germane to his job description.

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I wrote that a six month period was a better evaluation period than 90 days; well…here we are.  The Republicans in Congress have a few months (actually weeks) to complete health care reform, tax reform, and an infrastructure bill.  Before any of us realize it, the mid-term election cycle will be upon us and nothing of substance will be accomplished in WDC during that reign of lunacy.  The Republicans in Congress, whose spines are composed mainly of a gelatin-like substance, seem very reluctant to take the risks associated with major legislation without having a strong President for cover.  Trump is not now that strong President and the jury is still out on whether or not he can become one.  If he can somehow grasp the “4,5,6” of being President, many great things are possible for this nation.  If he allows his ego-maniacal instincts to keep him stuck at “3”, we are likely in for another three and a half years of what we’ve just had for six months.

Tolerance for the Sake of Tolerance.

Our nation is built on the premise of liberties for its citizens.  Many times, those liberties are abused and stretched to the very limits of reason by radicals of every persuasion…left, right, and all spaces in between.  Civil rights advocates walk in the same streets as the KKK protesters.  California DNC officials lead convention chants with two handfuls of raised middle fingers and chants of “f### Trump”.  Supposed comedian/comedienne/s use the most vulgar language conceivable and hold up bloody, severed head props of the President.  The DNC National Chair goes all over the country preaching that “Republicans don’t give a s###”.  Gender has no definition anymore and adult men can enter public restrooms with young girls simply by claiming they believe themselves to be women.  College students rule their campuses by dictating rules and policy to the administrators.  Youth athletic leagues are in turmoil over gender issues regarding boys playing with girls playing with…undetermined.  If it all seems a bit overwhelming, then you are probably one of many that feel that way.  There is no time or opportunity or space to step back and carefully consider many of these social issues that are roiling our society.  They are in your face, they demand you decide NOW, and heaven forbid you say the wrong thing to the wrong group at the wrong time.  You can be branded as a hater, a bigot, or a racist before you even know yourself how you feel about many of these situations. 

Educators have a monumentally difficult job.  They must somehow balance the rudimentary requirements of teaching our children the skills necessary to be productive citizens and, at the same time, help them to assimilate into the myriad kaleidoscope of lifestyles that exist in today’s America.  They are not intended to replace parents, but they do supervise the first immersion of children into organized society.  There are so many questions that need answers…Where does personal liberty end and public assault begin?  When did failure to publicly and vocally support a controversial cause automatically make you anti-cause?  How can it be anti-social or disruptive to simply try and discuss the different aspects of these subjects in a sincere and reasonable fashion?  Can we not have a society where one can withhold personal judgment without being labeled either pro-this or anti-that?  Why can we not allow changes in the way our culture and people live and work with each other to evolve and percolate before foisting them wholesale upon the entire nation?  Most reasonable people choose to hold their opinions to themselves and simply co-exist with the world; choosing their mates and friends in their own fashion.  Most reasonable people are just fine with this process.  Most reasonable people understand that they lack the moral authority to judge others on their lifestyles. 

But it seems that it is not sufficient to stand by, reserve judgment, and live to let live.  We have apparently reached a point in these States where failure to openly accept a controversial or different lifestyle is considered intolerant.  Alas, we have become blind to the realities of an open society.  If the rights of the few are to be respected, then the voice of the few must also respect the rights of the many.  Tolerance for the simple sake of tolerance is nothing less than the absence of principle.  The old saying that many of us have grown up with is as true today as it ever was… “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything”.  

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It is popular today to stand for nothing and tolerate everything.  If that trend continues, then we as a people will have no foundation beneath us to support ourselves.  There must be certain universal, bedrock principles that we hold amongst ourselves that guarantee the right of each person to live as they choose…as long as that living does not intrude on the lives of others.  The freedom to pursue one’s lifestyle is a liberty based on that pursuit not compromising the pursuits of others.  We have the right to feel good about ourselves; but we do not have the right to demand that others feel good about us.  If we as a society cannot restore a foundation beneath ourselves, then the inevitable result will be cultural chaos. 

Tolerance is a gift that must be both given and received; it flows in both directions.  In order to be respected by all, the tolerance given must be sincere, open, and freely given; the tolerance received must be reciprocated by gratitude without demand.   There can be patience without approval. There can be tolerance without acceptance.  There can be private opinions and judgments that each of us hold inside; that is our right.  The gratitude of receiving tolerance is not directed to the individuals who tolerate, but to the nation that insures liberty.  Tolerance by an American citizen is a floor, not a ceiling; it is an obligation.  In a perfect world, it is given without thought or intent; but we do not live in a perfect world.  Once again: as long as the person expecting the tolerance does not infringe on the liberties of others with their behavior; tolerance is required.  However, the motivation for the tolerance cannot, and should not, be prescribed.  For a U.S. citizen, it is sufficient that we tolerate.  Let the inner motivation for that tolerance be a matter between an individual and their Maker.