Lost in the passion and fury of raucous and self-serving debate, in the posturing of servile politicians, in the public pandering to the basest of motivations, in the laundering of votes for campaign contributions, in the ceaseless drumbeat of think-tank pundits and talking-heads ad nauseam, in the oh-so-pure prejudice of religious fundamentalism, is the still, quiet voice of reason.
The moral bankruptcy in America today isn't about black or white, Muslims or Christians, rich or poor, straight or gay, right or left. Our challenge is the monopoly powers granted to extremists of all persuasions in the marketplace of ideas. We are a nation whose birth was conceived by revolutionary ideals and baptized on the willingness of those self same idealists to die for the concepts of certain inalienable rights.
"Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness ..."
More below the fold ...
It may surprise the elitists among us, but we are a nation of people, of all colors, classes and creeds. Our government, our public policy, our laws, our institutions exist solely to serve "we", the people. Not corporations and special interest groups. Me. You. Us.
Thus, before we argue about the means and methods, let us first find common ground on beliefs and principles. What do we, the people, believe? What are the fundamental truths that we now hold as a nation, irrespective of our faith or choice of political expression? I suspect that if step back from self-serving political rhetoric and misleading "talking points" we will discover a remarkable fact.
We, the people, share beliefs that can unite us as a people and enable sweeping and systemic change. That we can jointly achieve improvements in our lives and in the lives of our fellow citizens ...
"...to form a more perfect union."
This, I believe.
Health Care
A people can not truly be free when life itself is a privilege of social and economic circumstances, where access to medical treatment is regulated by corporate self-interest, or restricted to persons of wealth. Disease and illness do not discriminate, therefore a free people must insure that the treatment for disease and illness is equally blind to race or class or economic ability.
Poverty
That a child may be condemned by our collective apathy and indifference to a life time of poverty thru the circumstances of her birth is anathema to the ideals of our nation. The ghettos of our inner cities are a wound upon the conscience of our nation, therefore a compassionate people must not callously abandon the poor to their fate. We must work ceaselessly to provide every family living in poverty, to every child of hunger, the opportunity to earn a living wage and thru hard work and sacrifice to secure their own freedom from want and to pursue their own dreams.
Defense
The defense of our nation and ultimately the protection of its people is the uncompromising bedrock of liberty. The responsibility of a sovereign nation to provide for the defense of its people is absolute; therefore let us insure that we never abdicate that responsibility to foreign powers or to private interests. If we are to secure the peace, we must first be able to wage war. Hence, a free people must insure the control of its security, the capacity of its industry, and honor the fidelity and courage of its warriors to keep and maintain their freedom.
Privacy
The right to privacy is precious. It is the right of minority. It is the right to be left alone. The right to pursue ones interests, passions and beliefs free from the prying eyes of government and from the tyranny of the majority. Absent privacy, the promise of the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness rings hollow.
If not guarded jealously, history teaches that the state, the church and the community will gradually and completely regulate all facets of human behavior, including how we dress, our choice of education, our place of worship, our choice of avocation, whom we marry, where we live, our manner of speech, our sexual orientation and expression, our reproductive rights, i.e. if unchecked the state will always impose slavery to conformity in the name of the public.
Therefore, let us celebrate diversity of thought and behavior, granting to each of us the respect of all of us, in the pursuit of self expression and personal belief, bounded only by the concurring requirement that none of us may, thru the exercise of self expression, bring harm to others.
Foreign Trade
Free, equitable, and balanced trade between nations advances the common good, allowing each of the trading partners to exchange goods and services with each other, ultimately benefiting the citizens of both nations equally.
Conversely, persistent and grossly imbalanced trade between nations drains the social, intellectual and economic capital of a nation, transferring the nation's jobs, skills, knowledge and treasury into the control of foreign and potentially hostile powers.
Unbalanced trade is not free, nor fair. No nation may long endure that trades the birthright of future generations on the alter of capitalism or for short term greed and convenience.
The erosion of America's manufacturing capacity, outsourcing of its service industries and professional services, etc.; act to rob the opportunity for economic well being of the many for the short term benefit of the few, a downward spiral that, in the end, will surely result in the absolute collapse of the American economy.
Moreover, a nation's ability to secure the defense of its people is directly tied to the capacity to manufacture the means to wage war.
It is self evident that competition based upon labor rates that are mere cents on the dollar of the comparable US worker, that competition based upon child labor, that competition based upon unsafe working conditions in government sanctioned sweatshops is not true competition deserving our respect or our de facto support.
We are a diverse people, with diverse abilities and skills. A wise nation recognizes the natural diversity and disparate capabilities of its citizens, insuring that every person has the opportunity to earn a living wage and secure economic well being for herself and her family. Therefore, let us enforce our sovereign right to regulate and balance trade to protect and preserve the common good.
Corporate Speech
Business and industry are human inventions, artificial constructs, which allow for organized and effective means of production. By their very nature, corporations consolidate great power and control over wealth and natural resources.
A corporation is not a person, is not a citizen, and in this age of globalization and multi-national organizations, it is wise to remember that the sole natural motivation of the corporation is to maximize shareholder value. To that end, corporations will naturally strive to dominate markets, minimize costs and maximize profits. Irrespective of the claims made by public relations hacks and slick advertising campaigns, corporations do not innately exhibit human characteristics. Rather, to the corporation, human beings are but mere resources, to be employed at the lowest possible cost. While corporations are not evil, per se, neither are they naturally altruistic, loyal, patriotic, or merciful.
Where the corporation is allowed to participate in political debate and to influence the electoral process, it is obligated for the sake of its shareholders to employ its great wealth and resources through campaign contributions and other means to "manage" the behavior of the people's representatives, all to the end of insuring the well being of the corporation itself. To wit:
Government of the corporation, by the corporation, and for the corporation ...
It is only right and prudent then that we, the people, establish rules and regulations to ban participation of corporations in the political process, insuring that business and industry serve the heirs of liberty, in lieu of the inevitable alternative, a society in which the people are mere serfs, chattel, to 21st century corporate overlords.
Religious Freedom
To insure freedom of religion requires that a free people first guarantee freedom from religion, for surely there is no more precious exercise of personal liberty than the choice of one's faith.
It is well to remember that our nation was founded by people fleeing from the oppression of state sponsored religion, and to closely examine the consequences of mixing church and state in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran. The founders of our nation wisely and presciently recognized the potential evil inherent in state sponsored religion, no matter the pedigree or the basis for religious belief. Thus, those who would proclaim that ours is a Christian nation ignore the lessons of history, and imply a society based upon exclusion, for every faith holder believes that his or her faith is the one (and only) "true" faith.
While the precepts of our individual faith may comfort and guide our behavior, if we hold liberty dear, we must cherish the right of the people to live their lives free from the interference of any particular religious institution, sect, or creed. Therefore, we must never look to the teachings of any faith as substitute for reason, or ever accept religious dogma as the infallible basis for public policy.
Energy
The continued reliance upon oil for America's energy needs reflects criminal negligence of our national leadership, suborns American foreign policy, and makes the US economy dependent upon the continued good will of despots and tyrants.
Energy independence is not luxury; it is absolute necessary to safeguard the security and economic well being of future generations of Americans. A nation whose people and prosperity are in the thrall of foreign powers is neither safe nor free. The illusion of cheap, unlimited oil is no more real than the myth of perpetual motion or the fountain of youth.
Leadership demands the capacity to make hard choices. To make rationale decisions based upon relative risks and a view to the future, for every decision creates consequences for each of us and for our progeny.
Therefore, let us demand an end to the failed politics of oil dependency and to the selfishness of special interests that have ransomed the future of America.
Terrorism
Ideological, political, or religious zealots commit acts of terror upon innocents as a means to an end. It is not the terrorist act per se - that is the objective - it is the aftermath. The terrorist seeks to gain publicity, to weaken the resolve of the populace; to employ the reaction of its enemy to further his objectives, or to strengthen support of his allies at home or abroad.
The tragedy of 9/11 is that by any objective measure, evil has triumphed.
The people of America have willingly all but sacrificed their personal liberties for the illusion of safety and security. The politics of fear, religious profiling and racial discrimination against Muslims within the United States has increased anti-American sentiments in the Middle-East and across the globe. The torture and indefinite detention of so-called enemy combatants without due process or respect for the rules of war have forever stained the moral standing of America. The unwarranted invasion of Iraq on false claims of national defense and unfounded ties to terrorism has only furthered the cause of our enemies and provided a fertile breeding ground for generations of terrorists in the future.
We will not win the war against terrorism with armed might. Ships at sea, jet fighters, missiles, tanks, and battalions of armored warriors are the tools of conventional war.
They are of little use in the asymmetrical warfare that is global terrorism.
Therefore, let us defeat cowardice with courage: the courage to maintain our civil liberties, the courage to embrace religious and ethnic diversity and the courage to respect the sovereignty of all nations.
If we are to honor the victims of 9/11 we must first return to the field of battle and refocus our national priority on identifying and prosecuting the individuals who were responsible for the deaths of our fellow citizens.
This, I believe.