Rant...Is polarization fatal?

I was watching a program the other night about Kosovo and the very strained relations between the ethnic/religious factions there. It was so frustrating watching them try to make a decision for their community, because the hate and mistrust was getting in the way, and it seemed like an impossible task despite everyone's need to have a resolution for the better good.

Reminded me of other divided communities around the world...the middle east, Africa, etc., where no matter what happens or what is said, it's of no use.....the divide, be it religious or ethnic, is so great, so deep, so unable to be resolved...

What made me REALLY sad, is that it sounded more and more like what is happening in America right now. We have never been more polarized than we are now, as our right wing is positioning itself further and further away from the mainstream. Our lawmakers can't even deal with a very serious topic like health care that impacts most of us, without extreme ideology getting in the way. What happened to just getting the work done for the American people?

Democtatic Congressmen are going home to town hall meetings that are being filled with professional hecklers, staging scare tactics, and not allowing them to speak and get their message out to their constituents. Corporate America is calling the shots....money talks. Aren't we suppose to be the ones talking? I'd like to think that's what we did in the last election, and for a few moments I was really proud....lies and misconceptions are in the news everyday...how is America to make informed decisions, trust their lawmakers, their government?

Even in our worst times.....including the great depression, the world wars, Vietnam, civil rights....we have always been able to stuff whatever differences we've had, come together and do what the country needed, for the greater good...

Are we really this polarized? What will we do now?