The U.S. Census reports about 1.3 million folks live in the Great State of Maine. Some 22.5% are over the age of 65.

The government says some 36,215 live in Lincoln County. They say 29.6% have passed their 65th birthday.

Those numbers tell us many Mainers can remember some 50 years ago, when, like today, our nation was divided. The two main topics of contention were the war in Vietnam and civil rights. They remember political discussions that turned into family feuds as Democrats yelled at Republicans and vice versa.

The oldsters remember how the political arguments begat street riots during the Republican and Democratic national conventions.

They remember when Ohio National Guard reservists shot four college students at Kent State University.

Oh yes, they remember arguments about something called Watergate that saw a president resign after the Republican senate leaders walked to the White House and suggested it was time for him to pack his bags and fly back to California.

They remember when snipers shot and killed President John F. Kennedy as he rode in a parade and Rev. Martin Luther King as he ate a meal in a Memphis, Tennessee motel. They remember Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian with strong anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian beliefs, who shot and killed Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in a Los Angeles hotel.

They remember that a 22-year-old guy dressed in red, white and blue walked up to Republican Gov. George Wallace of Alabama as he worked the rope line at a presidential campaign event at a Maryland shopping center and shot him and others. Wallace survived but spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

The old timers also remember it took years for the partisan political zealotry to cool. Somehow, we muddled along, and our nation survived.

Last week, a group of old Boothbay duffers were around a bridge table discussing the usual topics: taxes, cancer, who was in the hospital and, of course, age-related personal plumbing issues that are best unsaid.

But there was more on their minds than the usual chit-chat. It had nothing to do with the card game.

They were sickened over the brutal attack that killed a thousand Israeli civilians. They feared it could migrate into a wider conflict. They worry about Russian actions in Ukraine and whether the conflict might enlarge to involve Taiwan.

These super senior citizens still remember family members who served in faraway lands during World War II and Korea.

Most of all, they worried over our domestic political climate that is so partisan and convoluted, even die-hard news junkies can’t keep up with the latest partisan bombshells from the campaign trail, the Congress and, gulp, the courts.

These staunch business types, conservatives all, shake their heads at the bitter and deeply personal congressional battles featuring Republicans vs. Republicans. In this one, the Democrats are silent as they watch the other side implode.

It is no secret to anyone who has watched legislatures in action to learn they usually thrash out sharp internal differences behind closed doors.

Today's R vs R battle is being fought in front of TV cameras that beam it into our living rooms.

Last week, we saw members accused of what used to be called “cussing” at each other. We saw members accuse others of urging rabid followers to call members' families and threaten retribution. We even saw credible accounts of how Republican members threatened to slug fellow party members.

Meanwhile, the world watches, deadlines loom, and key funding requests are on hold, as the Grand Old Party displays its dirty laundry in public.

Since the end of the Second World War, Americans have taken a leadership role in helping nations rebuild from the great conflict.

Our leaders have preached the virtues of American democracy, telling the world how our governmental system is the glue that allows citizens of different backgrounds and religions to live together.

At the same time, we know our American story is fraught with inconsistencies. We fought a civil war when one side wanted to ban slavery while the other defended a society with a business model based upon the value and labor of enslaved peoples.

We argue over worker's rights, women’s rights, civil rights, and religion. These conflicts trouble us today.

But, so far, like the old bridge players, our nation has been able to talk out differences and reach conclusions acceptable to all sides.

An old political hand once told me, “Something is a lot better than nothing.”

When that happens, all sides can claim victory and move ahead.

I have said this before, but it is still apt. Fasten your seatbelt dear readers, it's going to be a rough ride.