We Can Whistle Better

Dear Friends,

You know what's strange? All, but roughly 30 to 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, would on any given day declare that we must struggle to discontinue the tribal politics that seems to have taken over our nation. I wholeheartedly agree with their assessment about the need to denuclearize Congress before we undermine and destabilize the country beyond repair.

This reminds me of the story of the well-known Methodist pastor who was whistling while walking along 7^th street in D.C.'s Chinatown. when he was interrupted by a 12- or 13-year old kid. "Reverend, I see you on TV preaching on Sundays. I'm glad you don't whistle at church because that is not good whistling.""Well, young man," the preacher asked, "can you beat it?" The kid said that he could. "OK, let's hear it." The little guy began to whistle a nice little tune. When he finished, he asked the minister to "do his thing." The minister began to whistle like the "Bluzman" from "Sitting on The Dock of the Bay". The little guy, obviously blown away by the whistling skill of the preacher said, "I don't understand. If you could whistle like a pro, why were you whistling the way you did when I stopped you?"

The worst thing about our current congressional tribalism is that we know, and the people of the Nation know, that we can whistle better. So why don't we?

Warmest regards,

Emanuel Cleaver, II