I’ve written several hundred articles over time but none have created more responses than the one I wrote two weeks ago titled “You will vote for Clinton or Trump.” In a microcosm, these responses show the increasing divide of our country. What follows are a few of the negative responses and a few positive ones to make the point.

As an example, “I am absolutely appalled at your ‘reasoning.” I responded, “since you are ‘appalled’ at my reasoning what is your reasoning for how you plan to vote?”

Another said, “Trump is a narcissistic sociopath. I don’t want to vote for a crook but I WILL not vote for someone who is in the DSM5! He is certifiably insane.” My response, “you do not have the training to so state but good to see that you agree Clinton is a ‘crook.’”

Following the final debate I received a message, “well your boy has done it again by saying he might not support the election results and saying about Hillary ‘she’s one nasty woman.’” I responded, “Trump said he would keep the country in suspense.” Further I reminded him how Al Gore handled the 2000 election results. In regard to Clinton being “nasty” I asked, “How in any way does this comment show he does not respect women?”

Even accounting for the negative comments from some of my high school classmates below I received more positive comments than any other article I have written. They included “Bravo, Jeff! This scares me to death. With the media on her side (and unabashedly so) I think she has the upper hand. God has a plan for America. I hope it includes a President Trump.” Another said, “this article is so needed at this time in our lives. I appreciate the time, energy and thought you put into this.”

Dr Paul Baxter, who was the minister of First Baptist Church in LaGrange before retiring, gave me permission to include part of his response which included, “I heartily concur with you! Although Trump was at the bottom of my preference list, I made up my mind to vote with both hands: One to check his box and the other to hold my nose. He is seriously flawed but he is the lesser of two evils, one a much greater evil for our country! I fear that we are about to plunge irredeemably in the direction that wrecked what was once Great Britain.” Note Dr Baxter is from Great Britain.

Another said, “I agree that I have to vote for Trump; my vote is not a personal endorsement of him but an endorsement of a platform that I fundamentally believe in.”

“I am 99 percent of the way to casting a vote for Donald Trump. Every day the sleaze, corruption, filth, dirt that emerges from the Clinton family is more than I can take. Donald is undisciplined and crude. The problem is that the Clintons are very disciplined to achieving their own personal goals as a result of being in the limelight and flagrant opportunism.”

A veteran said, “after 26 years in the Navy I have to wonder what we have been fighting for.”

I received more requests for permission to send this article to friends and/or to post it on social media than I ever have. My standard response is you do not need my permission, I encourage you to do so since it spreads the message and I’d appreciate it if you’d include my email address of jeffwarnerbrown@gmail.com so people can respond.

An interesting result of this article was that I sent it for the first time to about 80 additional classmates from my high school in suburban Philadelphia. Very quickly I received eight requests to remove their name from my distribution list which is more than I have received in total from my several hundred articles. Further some were hostile which until this article I don’t recall any being so. As an example: “Please do not send any more of this misguided crap!” I replied “Gee you use to be much kinder.”

Another classmate said of my article “In it he (Jeff) projected his own personal conservative Christian beliefs. He appears to believe that he possesses some special knowledge and information that we lack. This is an insult to the intelligence of our class.” One of several responses which were critical of the foregoing said, “____ seems to me to have been so influenced by this pernicious “politically correct” movement that he will not personally tolerate any view that disagrees with his own.”

I write opinion columns but try to be factual and to draw upon my background which includes being elected seven times to local and state government offices. That said, I totally support the phrase “we are entitled to our opinions but not to our own facts” and encourage readers to correct anything that I state as fact that they do not think is fact. Finally I am a conservative Christian and a fiscal and social political conservative. However I do not want to shove such down someone’s throat and welcome hearing from others of a different religious and/or political persuasion.

In just a few days we will know who will become our next President on January 20, 2017. Until then I will work to get Trump elected. If Clinton wins I will let the process flow. If Trump wins I will spend no time gloating. Regardless of the victor I will honor the office, practice tolerance and hope I get it in return and if I disagree do so winsomely.