This posting came out of a discussion family members (and a few friends) were having about Obama and the possiblity that he might not be eligible to run for President of the United States. A discussion that in my family which has its share of self discribed Flaming Liberals, Conservatives, Constitutionalists and a handful of Ostriches, who would rather not discuss the issues our Nation has before it. Each is a person I value and each has insight, even the isolationist. Though I make a point of not mentioning that to them as they don't think they are involved in the discussion.
A cousin stated something profound, in my opinion. He wrote, "...just because people are liberals does not mean we should stop talking to them. ... We can preach to the choir all we want. It takes guts to go out there and say something to someone who may not want to hear it. However, that is how people's minds get changed. I sent it to him knowing he was liberal, he is also a friend of mine... They ought to know what I think about them and their socialist ways. Conservatives have a bad habit of being not able to cope with liberals. I am sure the opposite is true but we can only change ourselves."
In response to that thought and several others I added the following:
We must always be able to speak to one another with respect even if we don't agree, (actually it is acutely more important in that case). Our Founding Fathers did that quite well. Sadly that aspect of our Freedom of Speech is waning as a general apathy concerning the source of those Rights in our Nation; the Constitution and Bill of Rights are increasingly viewed as unimportant. It is a trend on both sides of the isle in Washington and in our Nation as a whole. It is a mistake to sell one's heritage for any reason, because once it is sold it is gone forever. I value debate and the free exchange of ideas. They challenge and stimulate thought and I believe we are lost if we relinquish our own ability to think beyond the boundaries established for us by which ever party has control of our Nation's political establishments. We as people must never forget the blood that was paid as a down payment on this ever so rare and delicate Right of all men and women of every race, religion and creed.
The legal right to become a the President of the United States, is relevant. If we do not respect the laws that govern our nation we can as a nation not expect others to pay any heed to those laws and ideals we hold up as having value. This is one of the biggest lessons we should take from the last eight years. The rule of law IS CRITICAL. Bush was wrong or perhaps he missed the salient point the other side was so adamantly seeking to make due to their vociferous rancor. The rule of law must be adhered to or we will lose respect.
This is why it matters where Obama was born. This is why the Constitution and the Bill of Rights have to be defended. There are many who do not accept the legitimacy of the free exchange of ideologies, on both the Right and the Left.
This is nothing new though, having lived in a former Soviet Republic I can tell you that the News and the Truth (the names of the two State Sponsored newspapers) were notorious for not printing any differing opinions. That is what I fear most about this lack of dialog between the two political camps. They are wrong to advocate an isolationist view. It doesn't serve either side. It actually corrodes the very fabric of what America stands for in the World; which I see as a beacon of hope and for a better tomorrow for not only me, but also for my four children.
No comments:
Post a Comment