Elections always have consequences. Most countries are not a pure two party system like the United States. They have multiple parties and while one person will become the leader, they require coalitions of the parties in order to rule. It makes for a strange government when one party wins, but needs the support of another party. Most Americans never realized that Merkel’s rule was made possible by a coalition with the Socialist party.

I will always remember talking to my mom before a deployment to war. She asked me why we were off to war. My response was, “don’t ask me…I’m a soldier and do what I’m told. Ask your congressman.” Our American men and women have always responded to our governments call. The “purpose” of a war is always political though. Determining the “worth” of a war should always focus on the politicians who decided, not the soldiers who executed.

I found this one and immediately thought, where have I seen this map before! The transition to 487 counties in a lot of places in the south has been a result of 487s moving down from up north. If you’ve “lost” your county, we're sad for you. If you haven’t lost it yet, it’s time to get active in local politics to try and prevent it.

We were at a gun show when word broke of this terrible shooting. Like everyone else, we were disheartened. Very quickly, the conversation started on what kind of evil people do this. It was Tennessee, after all. My first thought was to check the map. Nashville is a 487 county and as the story unfolded about how folks had to go to their car to get their guns, I understood. 487 is harmful to life.