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The French held a referendum yesterday on the new European Union constitution. I have no great revelations about the issue, Vaara at Silt or Avedon Carol at The Sideshow may have something substantial to say, but I haven’t studied the constitution.

What caught my ear when listening to the BBC World Service last night was the alignment of the two sides in the vote. The French EU vote was cast by 70% of registered voters with 55% voting Non and 45% Oui. The Yes/Oui voters represent the political center of French politics; the No/Non voters were both extremes.

The constitution was a compromise, as any such document must be, and it was rejected by people who refuse to compromise. I don’t see a “Plan B” in this situation. The reality is that to achieve such a result, the constitution must have been nearly perfectly balanced, apparently too balanced to be accepted by anyone except the center.

This is a troubling result in regard to US politics as it points to a situation where compromise is not possible. You have to wonder if we are moving the same way: that we can no longer live together in the same country.

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This is a picture from one of the columbariums at the Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of many of those who served the United States since the middle of the 19^th century.

That is my Father’s marker. He didn’t know those located around his marker, but they all shared service to their country as part of their life.

The country continues to ask for service and people still respond to that call. As you think about the sacrifices represented by Arlington and other cemeteries, ask yourself if you have done what you could to prevent misuse of the willingness of some to serve.

It is rather for us the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us–that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion–that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.

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