Hope

For me, the last five years have been frightening and without much hope. I have watched my country go from being a respected beacon of liberty and a champion of human rights to one of the most hated and feared nations on earth. My country has grown fearful and controlled. New agencies like the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) and Homeland Security are slowly compromising our constitutional rights and freedoms in the name of being safe from terrorism. Over the last five years, things like the Patriot Act allowed the government to monitor my e-mail, the books I check out of the library and the movies I rent. This administration chose to bypass FISA courts and pursue unconstitutional domestic spying. It even “outed” a CIA agent when the agent’s husband dared to expose a lie about Bush’s evidence for invading Iraq. With pictures seen around the world, this administration has been exposed for its violation of international conventions and human rights in places like Abu Ghraib and “Git’mo.” With its questionable “military tribunals,” it has jeopardized bringing the truly bad guys to justice by holding and secretly torturing guilty and innocent prisoners alike for five years without due process.

Over the last five years, my country has gone from a peacetime economy with a surplus under Clinton to massive debt under the Bush administration, as we fight a war costing billions of dollars a month and no clear end in sight. Our banker to fund our debt is also our biggest economic rival and supplier for just about everything we buy. To add to our national economic pain, the price of oil has skyrocketed well beyond the rising world demand with the fall of the U.S. dollar. It has caused the price of gasoline to more than double in less than a year. To make matters worse, this administration’s call for more bio-fuel production has led to even higher prices for corn, wheat and rice. Grain needed for food is increasingly diverted to fuel production to help offset the rising price of oil and our dependence on it. Food riots are now breaking out around the world because of the sudden rise in price. Our economy has been shaken to the core. Together with the recent mortgage crisis, this has not been a good five years, folks. We need some good news.

We are nearing the end of a very close Democratic primary race for president. The new president, Republican or Democrat, will have to deal with one hell of a mess, a costly war, an economy in crisis and the effects of global warming. Only one of the three candidates still standing has offered me hope of change.

There was a time when I actually considered John McCain for president. He has left his mark on congress and his reputation for being a maverick politician is well known. Once upon a time, he intrigued me. However, John McCain’s commitment to our involvement in Iraq “for a hundred years if needed” finally soured my interest. We cannot afford the overwhelming cost, the loss of lives and the loss of our national reputation to honor his (Bush’s) commitment to “win” in Iraq. What does a win in Iraq even mean? What does it look like? How would we know it? Unfortunately, I believe John McCain as president would mean another 4 years of the Bush administration. It would mean more of the same old stuff that has not worked. Not much hope...not much change.

I had hoped that Hillary Clinton would choose not to run. Too much baggage from her husband’s years: Travel-gate, the health care fiasco, Bill and Monica and a presidential impeachment. Still, I was excited about having a viable candidate for the first woman president. I had no doubt that she would be tough enough for the job, but the first Clinton administration left our country savagely divided along partisan lines. Things turned nasty and there was bad blood. Her presidency could be seen as a vindication for her husband and that would not sit well with Republicans. As I saw in her primary campaign, Bill Clinton played a big role in her run for office and I do not imagine he would lay low once she was president, opening her presidency to scandal and conflict. Some hope perhaps...but not much change.

Then there was this dark horse, a junior senator from Illinois. He gave this speech at the last Democratic Convention in 2004 and I remember thinking that we would hear more from this man. Barack Obama talked about how there were not blue states or red states, but there were only the United States of America. When he emphasized united ...for the first time I actually believed that we might all come together as ONE nation and get something done. He was not talking mean partisan politics...he was talking unity. He was talking about healing this country and giving us direction. He was talking about change from the old Washington backbiting and gridlock. During the primary, he talked about ending this war. He talked about finding solutions. He talked about using diplomacy and talking to our enemies. This struck fear in the hearts of those that truly believe that the best defense is a strong and angry offense. It can only be through mighty force and blood sacrifice that our country will survive. If dialogue with our enemies is weakness, then what has our blood sacrifice, our torture of prisoners, and cowboy talk done to make this nation stronger and more respected? Are we any safer?

Barack Obama has given me hope.

FOOD for THOUGHT...