By this time next week, voters will have made their choice in this country for their presidential preference and for a host of national, state, and local offices. What happens then — from the Tuesday night vote counting and tabulation to the coming weeks and months — will be very important.

This election has certainly been historic and unprecedented. For the first time a person of African-American origin will either be president or have come mighty close.

The tone of the campaign has often become strident and divisive. That should end next Tuesday. Supporters of the winning and losing candidates should respect each other’s choices and come together to move the country forward.

We should allow neither disappointment or elation at the outcome of this election to further divide us by spiteful remarks or actions that we will later regret when emotion subsides.

Think about the times when in the heat of anger we say something that we later wish would could take back. But once those words launch from our tongues, there’s no way to get them back.

 In Panola County, we generally view ourselves as a tolerant and decent people. That should govern our post-election relationships with each other.

Again, after the election it’s over. Accept the outcome and move on. There’s no place for accusation, recrimination, discrimination, retaliation or any other awful —ation, only respect.

This country is going through many crises. There’s a never ending War on Terror, the home mortgage and economic crisis, a crisis in health care — on and on ad nauseam.

We don’t need to compound these problems by continuing the vitriol of the election after it’s over.

After all, it’s only politics.

When the election is over, the sun will still rise in the east and set in the west. In Panola, we will still go to school and church and the grocery store and the bank just like we’ve always done.

Let’s continue to do it respectfully.