As the current dramas of Tester, Webb, Lamont, and their like unfold, my anticipations seem to be vindicated. The attacks on working Americans that began to take effect during the Reagan years were tempered only by a Congress under control of the Democrats. At that time I came to the conclusion that what this country needed was a good 8 years of total neocon control. Then, hopefully, Americans would come to see the light of the true intentions of the Republican agenda. Be careful what you hope for!
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My quest for education began in earnest as I stood searching the skies in late October of 1962. I was only 9 years of age at the time but the terror of the Cuban Missile Crisis is still vivid in my memory. The most influential writers in my life were John Steinbeck, H. G. Wells, and Jack London. The struggle for equality in America has been a rocky, and often bloody, experience. But the eloquet and inspirational Declaration of Independence has lent us the ability to, dare I say, evolve. Progress has been made concerning slavery, womens rights, and fair labor treatment. FDR was the first to earnestly utilize our vast national resources and wealth to lift EVERY citizen from need. To share with and help the poor, sick, and elderly of our citizen population has appealed to our conscience and we have responded accordingly. There has been great progress made since 1776. To participate in the evolution of mind and soul defines the term Progressive.
There is, though, a greedy and selfish group among us that yearns for the days of dog eat dog, survival of the fittest mentality. And we must be ever vigilant of their tactics. Their lies and deceit have been obscured by hijacking our moral compass with the right to life issue at the front door, while at the back door they do everything they can to bankrupt our social safety nets for the sick, elderly, and poor. They sout from the mountaintops about the threats to our beloved Constitution concerning gun control, while they whittle away our civil rights with executive signing statements. Have no doubt that with dictatorial power they would eliminate minimum wage, environmental protections, workplace safety, Social Security, Medicaid, overtime pay, and taxes on the wealthy. The war in Iraq is not aboud spreading democracy into the Mideast. We support oppressors and dictators worldwide to this very day. It is about protecting oil revenues. National Security would be much better served spending the Trillions on alternatives to fossil fuels. But to these neocons, personal wealth trumps National Security.
These past 6 years have opened the eyes of many of our citizens. The veil of deceit has become more sheer. Yesterdays Lamont victory was not just a vote on the war as pundits assert. It is an indication that Americans are beginning to see through that veil of deceit and do not like what they see. It is our duty to continue to tug on that veil and to halt the regression that the neocons have instigated. I believe that deep inside every America there is a yearning for progress. It is good to be a Progressive again! Just as I had hoped for, the fog is lifting.