The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, may have united America as a nation, however briefly, but they also sharpened the political differences between many of its citizens.

As someone whose politics went from left to right as a direct result of Sept. 11, I experienced firsthand the sort of upheaval political disparities, newfound or otherwise, can have on personal relationships. My oldest friends and I have been able to salvage our friendships, even if voluntary silence on political matters is necessary at times. But it was that most intimate of personal relationships -- marriage -- that unfortunately fell prey to the emerging divisions in the country.

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