All together now

Don't be shy about accusing outsiders of pushing their agendas in the matter of same-sex marriage. Too often, outsiders' goal is to promote their cause even if it tears our community apart. And that applies to folks on both sides of the barbed wire fence.

Thousands of verbal and written assaults, almost all of them launched from somewhere outside Idaho, bombed the City of Coeur d'Alene in the aftermath of exaggerated news reports on a wedding chapel's lawsuit against the city. Meanwhile, on our very own cdapress.com, the online poll asking readers if they support or oppose same-sex marriage received a couple thousand votes supporting it in just a few hours. What was a slight edge for the side opposing suddenly became a runaway vote in favor, skewing what had been trending as a fairly close division.

We want to share with you a short story that might help put the latest, greatest controversy into perspective. A fairly liberal couple who had lived and worked in Coeur d'Alene for a number of years moved back East upon retirement. There family and old friends greeted them, and the couple enjoyed the relatively liberal values of the region.

While there is no substitute for family, the couple recently expressed pangs of remorse. Even though North Idaho is more conservative than they preferred, they opined about how much they miss the region's natural beauty and yes, its people. Like many others who move away, in time they realized how much they'd lost.

This isn't a rallying cry for conservatism. Anyone who has traveled extensively or lived in a variety of states can attest that North Idaho isn't the only beautiful place with good people. But what we have that few others can boast is a citizenry that pulls together in times of need. Every worthwhile cause is met by rabid support, whether it's a multi-million dollar capital campaign for the community hospital or an award given to a little girl who saved her younger sister.

Yes, we have disagreements; together, we confront agents of community division. McEuen Park. Discrimination ordinance. Special interests influencing elections. Arfee. Hitching Post.

We live in interesting times, which is a blessing because it's proof of passion. What's different about us is that when the cold winds blow, our passion is ultimately focused on helping one another.