An open letter to Republican politicians...

To all of those Republican politicians that continue to blindly support all their parties positions; stop.  Stop and look at our nation at this moment.  We are a country bitterly divided.  Hate is running rampant.  Political discourse is shouted down as fake news.  Civility and ethics are ignored.  The very fabric of our Democracy is being torn.  We all have our differences, but there is one thing we have in common; we are all Americans.  That used to mean something.  That used to mean that we stood tall behind each other.  We supported each other.  We would even die for each other.  Not for tax cuts, or immigration policy, or any other political idea, but for each other.  President Abraham Lincoln once said "that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  This government currently does not represent all of its people.  Anyone that would argue that is does is either ignorant or complicit.  For those of you that got into politics with altruistic ideals in mind, please remember those ideals.  Please remember that we, the people, elect politicians to represent us; to act on our behalf; to stand up for all of us, not just those that agree with you.  To those that tow the party line in spite of what it does to this country I offer this.  This will not stand for long.  History will remember you; what you supported; what you have done to divide this country.  You will not go down in history as a hero to your cause.  You will be remembered as a villain.  Your family name will be marked for all of history with that stain.  It’s not too late to turn that around.  You can do the right thing now.  You can change the direction.  You can help heal this country; our country.

InspireMe

I was watching TV. A show called Jack & Bobby that only made it one season. The show centers around two brothers and their mother. The premise of the show is looking back at the life of Bobby the youngest brother. Sometime in the future Bobby becomes President of the United States. The show mostly shows episodes of the brothers lives that correspond to cuts to the future where people talk about Bobby in an interview fashion. This show works hard to paint a picture of Bobby as the President that we all imagine and hope for. It tries to inspire our hearts and minds with the lessons and ideas of these characters. For me it worked. I find myself hoping for a leader like that to stand up. A leader that truly has the qualities that we imagine a good leader should have. A leader that is not just talking, but actually saying something. A leader that can inspire not just some of us, but all of us.
Since I have had the right to vote I have found myself with a choice that we all don't want to make. A choice between the lesser of two evils. Although by definition this is technically a choice, it really doesn't fit the bill when we talk about the idea of choice that our forefathers had in mind. Our political system has been paired down to a choice between two people. Yes, there are other parties and the independents, but they don't get much in the way of exposure that the Democratic and Republican candidates do. We know it comes down to money, and some ridiculous rules about who qualifies to be in a debate. So for all intents and purposes we choose between two.
So this election season, just like all the ones previous, I find myself in the precarious position of voting for the lesser of two evils again. I have been a moderate all my life. I don't lean too far to the left or the right on any issues. So now I find myself with the choice between a staunch liberal, and an unstable conservative.
The staunch liberal talks a lot, but really doesn't say anything. He says the word change just to say the word. It's what America wants to hear. We are so fed up with the current administration that one word gets folks all revved up. Well, I'm sorry Mr. Obama, but it takes more than one word to get my vote. I want a leader, not a man who is pandering to the crowds. I want a leader, not a man who says what is popular over what is right. I want a leader, not a man who uses broad strokes to paint his picture of change. I want a leader, not a man who talks about what his opponent has done wrong instead of what he is going to do right.
The unstable conservative, well to be brutally honest has done a hell of a job alienating most of the moderates when his campaign became more about why we should not elect Barrack Obama rather than providing any clear reasons why we should elect him.
Mr. Obama has the capability to be that man; I think...Nothing he has said has done the one thing that would get my vote. He hasn't said a thing that inspires me. I keep hoping that someone will stand up, say those things that need to be said. Inspire us to unite as a people rather than separate us with partisanship and half-truths. Inspire us to become more involved in what is happening around us in a proactive sense rather than reactive. Inspire us out of that deep pit of apathy that we find ourselves unknowingly entrenched in. Inspire us to innovate, invent, and push forward out of this lull that we find ourselves in. Inspire us to care more about the education of our children rather than how much it costs. Inspire us to volunteer our time, our money, and our sweat to make this country more like it is in the story we tell all those people we are "liberating." Inspire us to think more about here, than we think about wherever there is.
I am still waiting for that person to stand up and inspire me. Are you out there?