redblueamerica.com

It’s time to send a message

People and governments communicate in many ways. Some audible some very subtlety. Many speak in double speak and innuendo and governments speak through diplomats and state departments and leaks to the press. America has been speaking with it’s actions since its inception and most of the world has listened and watched in admiration of our experiment with Democracy and our liberties. America has been the example to most of the world of a promised land, a place where ideas and voices of the many can be heard. Or progress over our relatively short history has been astonishing to even those who did not agree with us or respect us. We have been the place where the oppressed and struggling masses might have a chance for liberty and a better life. The American Dream has entered the lexicon of the worlds vocabulary and it held out hope for those who loved their home land but hoped for a government that help them instead of oppressing them.  For most of the nineteenth and twentieth century America has meant these things and much more to the peoples of the world. America spoke, not just with words but with action. Yes we meddled into other countries politics and affairs, sometimes inappropriately and in our own self interest but we where always ready to help stop a dictator or help with a natural disaster.

The last seven and a half years we have sent a different kind of message to the world. We have become the bully on the block. We started an unprovoked war with the only preemptive strike against a country in our history , with the exception of the Indian wars and the Spanish American war,. We did not listen to the rest of the world and lied about our attackers to justify a war that has killed more than 4000 American service men and women and untold civilians. The list of our governments wrongdoing is too long to list in this missive. Suffice it to say America’s image and prestige is tarnished and battered maybe beyond repair. Our reputation with the governments of the world and many people of the world is damaged.  Our shinning light of freedom has dimmed a lot.

I have spoken with many friends this last year who have traveled to or from; Asia, Europe, England, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, Egypt and the Sudan. I also read a piece in the Smithsonian magazine written by a writer trying to tell a story about a Baltic country and it’s history. He tried to stay away from politics but was continually bombarded with questions about our presidential contest. My friends and this author discovered that even though America’s government actions of late have disappointed many people of the world, many people think and hope that we people of America will use our collective voice, do the right thing, and elect and person who will restore our reputation and give back hope the rest of the world. 

The questions asked by these people are not about the Republican race. They are about the two people who are pushing the status quo of our political race for President of the only supper power left on the planet. They are watching to see if Americans really do believe that we are a land where anyone can rise to the highest office regardless of their color or sex. In other words, can we as a collective people put our prejudices and biases aside and do what is best for the country and the world? The people of the world are waiting for us to communicate to the world that we are ready to reassume our roll as the leader of the free world. They are waiting for us to show with our actions that we stand behind our democratic ideals.

I guess it is not hard to see why other nations and peoples have such intense interest in the outcome of our presidential race. America is still the largest economy in the world. We still are the greatest innovators and most productive county in the world. We still have the largest GNP of the world. The Dollar is still the most sought after currency of the world ( not for long though). What effects America affects the world not only economically but in areas like human rights and leadership. As the problems of the global economy and climate change and scarcity of water and shrinking arable land and famine and a very long list of the ailment of the world are now known to most of the world, people of the world are looking for leadership to help solve these difficult problems. They hope we will have that leadership in our government and we will be a partner in helping to solve these problems that affect their daily lives. They don’t care if your leader is a Democrat or a Republican. They just want a leader that will live up the American dream and offer hope as America has for most of it’s history.

What better message could we sent to the world that we have as a people looked past our bitter struggle with slavery, prejudice, and hatred and elected a bi-racial black man. What better message could we send that we overcame our late acceptance of the rights of a female to have a voice in our political and economic life and elect a woman to the highest office of the land.

It’s time to send a message to the world with our actions and by exercising our free right to vote and vote for change in the status quo.