I think our government has worked so well for so long - because the founding fathers had meaningful experience to draw on and they cared enough to act intelligently. That system has been a remarkable success... mostly. They were smart and honorable men, no doubt... but more than that, they dared to confront the truth and take action. They did not sit at the sidelines and grumble or blame. And when asked what should be done, they used concrete ideas; They did not simply cast dispersions. They spoke eloquently by todays standards, but they were not far from the people.
They were all just men though... not a different species and not without their own challenges. Some were farmers; Most were family men. There were times when they had gone hungry, fought the cold, stayed awake with young sick children; They had bad days and made mistakes... But they made time to take on another country and assemble a new nation. They wrote their own speeches and took responsibility. They got out there and found the truth.
We have two real candidates this year - I think they are both honorable men. But I also think we have spent too much time on the sidelines. We let our politicians get away with simple words; We have escalated them to a status above us, by blindly believing and following and not using a critical mind. They are also just men.
We have a decision to make every four years, one that effects our lives profoundly, and we give it less attention than we give football. And our newspapers do little to make waves; There was a time we demanded more of them - but today they are profit centers and have a lot more to say about Britney Spears and OJ. I would love to see voting records tabulated, bill wording and earmarks in a politics section, money transfers in plain sight, and "public record" truly public; Wouldn't it be great if we had a government section that compared with our business and sports pages?
Taking back the country and making real change can not be done from the sidelines. Words must be matched with deads. Letting politicians avoid our questions and letting the media distract us with skiing squirrels and fashion, is a failing on our part also. Learn how the system works. Quit being self-serving in your view of the world... With everyone taking advantage and no one returning acts of generosity or getting involved, the entire system will surely fail faster, harder, and from out of nowhere. If no one thinks about keeping the schools working, helping the poor and hungry, and dealing with injustice... we will quickly become a starving, foolish, violent mob.
We have sent many of our young men overseas to fight for us; They are still there and its not clear we are doing well there or at home. When will they come home? What will they come home to? My dad was in the armed services and he quickly forwards anything honoring the soldiers of today and yesterday; For him it is probably not possible that he could be overdoing it a little. I am asking everyone to honor what they fight for... not just the soldier, but the ideals; And they fight for us and true freedom, not for politicians or oil. Its our politicians and corporate America though, that send men off to war. Our forefathers also fought for us, but with the idea that we would pay attention and take all of this as seriously as they did. In honor of all that, we need to find our own fight back here at home; We need to start fighting for our country and being serious in a way our forefathers were. We need to find the truth and we need to use a critical mind. And we need to step up.
In my lifetime I have seen decidedly democrat states - states with farmers and working men - swing incredibly conservative; This was not a sudden wave of street genius - this was marketing. This was the influence of hype and spin. We are letting soundbites stomp out the truth. Many of us simply grunt and clap when someone says family values; But for all the conservative flag-waving and pretense at religious faith, what has happened to our country? They have spent a lot of time blaming... but the democrats have had minimal influence for over 20 years.
Don't just make noise because you have the right. Don't just guess at what the truth is. Don't vote uninformed - Rights come with responsibilities. Don't blame everyone else; Put in some effort yourself and be critical of your own actions first. Quit giving our power away - let us all hold ourselves and our leaders accountable. Like our forefathers, we are all just men... but we can create amazing things and overcome ridiculous odds. Apathy and pretense are not going to cut it though; Thought, research, sweat, risk, and genuine caring are involved. We need to own this problem - and the failure will be our own if we let the country fail.
So - What are you doing today to make this all go better?
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