Thursday, November 04, 2004
America The Beautiful
Our nation is not, nor has it ever been, perfect. Plenty of bumps, glitches, politicians and laws that pepper the history of the United States are depressing, perplexing and absurd. Slavery, segregation, oppression, Prohibition, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Ann Coulter, Charles Manson, OJ Simpson, Stephen King, Carrot Top.
At the same time, our nation is wonderful, strong and resilient. Our nation has given us Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelet, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Gloria Steinem, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Gregory Peck, Jackie Robinson, Joe Dimaggio, Katharine Hepburn.
The country elected George W. Bush for a second term this week. He won with a popular mandate and a clear margin of victory, however slim.
It's disheartening to hear people all over the country and all over the world say that America made the wrong choice. Because we didn't. Nearly half of the country disagrees with this choice and is disappointed with this choice. But it was not the wrong choice. Because it was the choice of the majority of the people in the U.S., and in a democracy, the people rule.
That's the beauty of our government. The people rule. Right now, many are disappointed and disaffected. But they have the power to spend the next two or four years until the next election fighting. We can change things about our government that we don't like, as long as we are passionate about making the change.
That's what I love about this country. It's maddening and multilayered and marvelous and we're a direct part of it.
Everybody in the nation has the right to do whatever he or she can to force change. So what are you waiting for?
Write your representative
Contact your Senator
NOW
Childrens Defense
NAACP
Amnesty International
Special Olympics
Big Brothers Big Sisters
amFAR
American Cancer Society
Planned Parenthood
Donors Choose
Mallory at 11/04/2004 11:15:00 AM