Enough already!

The election of the year 2004 is over. Isn't it about time every partisan and every voter relaxed and went about their everyday business without rancor?

I mean this from both sides of the aisle. The winners should certainly go out of their way to be non-confrontational. After all, "they won." Whatever happened to good old-fashioned sportsmanship? You won! Don't rub anybody's nose in the mud. Next time you may come up on the short end of the electoral college's choice. So beware.

The supporters of the losing candidates should definitely be circumspect in their actions and words. Now is not the time to re-open ugly wounds. Every time an incumbent slips or makes an error, they should not trumpet "I told you so! You see, your candidate is nothing but a big boob!" Both sides should let up on the rhetoric. In my 15 or so years as a soccer coach, I always liked the idea of both teams lining up on the mid-field stripe after the match, to shake hands with the opposing team. Most times it was very sportsmanlike but occasionally hot-headed players acted badly. Spitting on one's palm before shaking the winning team's hands does not qualify as a benign gesture.

One is allowed to muffle one's tears or even cry a bit in a losing cause, but even these reactions should not last too long or be too loud.

Athletics should, hopefully, be a training ground for our children and be the start of good habits and good manners. It is not always the parents who set the proper example. More and more youth leagues have to set stern rules regarding the actions and language used by the parents standing on the sidelines.

Let me put forth a few good rules to follow:

a) If you win, be gracious in victory.

b) If you lose, keep your head high and be proud of your effort.

c) There will be other elections and other games. Train harder and, perhaps, the winners and losers can switch positions.

These rules go for adults and children alike!