Political Writing In A Political Year

Yes We Can

My nation is the result of hundreds of years of struggle toward equality
And within my lifetime I have seen a miracle in which the majority
A real majority has grabbed power from a privileged few.

People have given their lives for me.
Unrecognized people have been beaten and terrorized for me
Taking power from the white man and giving it to everyone
Was an act of sacrifice for me
Even though I am a white man

My country is very much rife with division
Rich versus poor
White versus black
Hispanic versus Anglo
I could go on, and on, and yet
Despite these divisions we are one people

In America ghettos have no walls too high to scale
And despite what anyone says most Americans
Want equality, and prosperity for everyone

It is a nation both coming to grips with,
and simultaneously burying its past
And in the words of the prophet Zimmerman,
America is a nation busy being born.

Unlike many older established nations
My nation isn't made up of one ethnic group
My nation isn't monopolized by one religion
My nation isn't one color

America has a diversity and yet hasn't torn itself apart

We are a unique experiment in the making.
And that is why I hope only the best for this land.
I may say things critical of an administration
But do not confuse my approach as unpatriotic

Because I love my country.

And that love of the nation, and the people is what drives my passion
to write of politics.

Most of my regular readers are quite aware of my support for Barack Obama.
And my liberal politics. Some who know me best also know I can be quite conservative.
I am a mutt of sorts which is only natural since I am an American.

As the election nears. And as the rhetoric on all sides intensifies
let us on all sides of various debates continue to remember
That after the election we will all still be here together
Americans

And while we may disagree we agree upon most things
no matter what we are told.
And it is in our common interest that lay our strength
Yes, we can.

We can put aside our differences and demand that our government
act in the best interest of the many, of the people, and not just
the few and the powerful.

America first - let this be our mantra.