I like to watch high level Sumo Tournaments which occur six times a year. The tournament lasts fifteen days with each wrestler meeting the other wrestlers once. Each day the fighters are kept in one of two rooms so they aren’t with that day’s opponent before the bout. The next day they might be in the other room. The highlights I watch miss most of the rituals before each bout. During the fight they butt heads, slap each other, and perform one of over eighty moves to try to win.

            When the winner is declared each fighter goes to his spot in the ring where the loser bows to the winner. The bouts usually last less than thirty seconds and a few might last a minute. Wrestlers do not bad mouth other fighters at any time. The judges who decide close matches are stable owners themselves and the decision on who won may be against their own fighter.

            Compare that to the way our Congress used to act. They would give fiery speeches about the other party’s position or even against someone in their own party. Afterwards they would all go to a local bar, or the pool, spa, or some other place for bi-partisan fun. On weekends they played ball with the teams having mixed parties. Courtesies were real and not feigned.

            Today Congress is without any real courtesy and resembles a full contact wrestling match where the opponent is to be beaten to a pulp and verbally abused before and after. Congress used to be in session five days each week so they got together on weekends. Now they leave for home on Thursdays and when not in session they are on the phones drumming up money usually besmirching the other party or even their colleagues. Bi-partisan laws were common and good for all Americans.