Suffering, Sacrifice and Truth

 

November 22, 2007 - I believe that when people hear the truth, great change is not only possible; it is inevitable.  As we return to reasoned introspection - with a moral imperative - our collective social conscience will reject the fear, terror and imperialistic militarism that have reached its zenith in the Bush Administration. We the people can begin building a long-term process to heal our communities, our nation and our world. This will be a long-term struggle. It will require our collective sacrifice as we undo the debt, repair the destruction, demand accountability and, most importantly, seek the truth.

 

Let’s return to the Constitution. Let’s remember the rule of law. Let’s begin the national dialogue.  What is the balance of powers? What is justice?  What is liberty? What is tranquility?  What is security?  What did our forefathers mean when they said our union was to promote the general welfare?

 

The American psyche is suffering.  The psychological warfare comes from all sides – lies, manipulations and greed at the highest levels of government, billions of our tax dollars lost and stolen, over a million dead in Iraq – yet it’s called “winning,” the potential for yet another, immoral preemptive strike against a country with no nuclear weapons, the coddling of another with WMD to spare, spiraling costs for gasoline, heating fuel, food, insurance, property taxes, the unknowns of climate change, millions without healthcare, brain injured and suicidal Veterans with devastated families, job and pension losses, the yearly donut hole, the soaring cost of a college education, a disintegrating  dollar,  increasing  unemployment, foreclosures and jail populations - even the threat of being tasered, arrested or called a “terrorist” or an “enemy combatant”  if you dare ask a question about the 9/11 investigation, or happen to support Congressman Ron Paul.   And, if you are a Kucinich supporter, you can be called a socialist, or even a Communist.    What ever happened to the “middle ground?” 

 

For students of history, this playbook is not new.  Greed, power and avarice lurches in when reason, moderation and justice are discarded.  A video by Naomi Wolf, The End of America describes how the current conditions follow the blueprint from democracy to fascism.  These times are not for the faint of heart.  For too many years, “we the people” have taken our freedoms for granted.  We’ve forgotten that a representative government requires our participation, our sweat and our diligent oversight.

 

 Joseph Cirincione, Senior Vice President of the Center for American Progress describes the first step:

 

“The number one task before us, before we propose our solutions, is to expose the failings of the current strategy, to detail the bankruptcy of the underlying philosophy ideology and to repudiate individually and collectively the architects of this failure.”

 

I agree. It’s time to take back our power, and our country.  We can.  And we will.