I challenge Americans… I challenge the Religious leaders of
this nation, to challenge our fellow citizens and our leaders to reflect on their
lives, reflect on our nation, reflect on their vision of the way the world should be, the
way we say we want it…
To acknowledge that our acts, our endorsements of divisive
and self-interested leaders, half-truths and influences, are not consistent with a people
who claim to be a nation based on Christian values, and of numerous valid and cherished
religious disciplines. It is not consistent or compatible with a Democratic system.
This is not a condemnation of the
American people. This is an acknowledgement of our leaders who set the
example for us all by calling on us to act out of our Christian values, and to abide by
the golden rule. But, there has not been a U.S. President for the 40 years that I
remember, where a President has not been guilty of some crime, in or out of office.
That's the example they provide for conduct of U.S. Citizens; lie, cheat
steal, and tell everyone else to start acting like good Christians.
Bush says Osama hijacked a religion... that's
what he does every time he supports policies that rape the land, strip us of our earning
& pensions, and then turns around and acts like he's above it, asking us to honor the
golden rule.
What there is to understand is that this is the same
disconnect acknowledged by leaders when we bomb a country, and make announcements that we
love the people of that nation, but the government is corrupt and does not represent the
people. The truth is in the difference between the leaders and the people.
When we realize that, we will find freedom from the propaganda they heap upon
us. Because they do not, as a whole, represent us. We need to ignore them,
make up our own minds, and tell them what we consider
acceptable and important.
Those who decry their outrage at the behavior
of the leaders of the Catholic Church would be hypocrites to refuse this challenge to take
responsibility for their own lives and actions. And
if you are right with your God, or right with your conscience then you cannot deny that each
of us has room to more honest and understanding of each other. None of us has
room to condemn one another as humans. We have an opportunity to work together for a
vision of a country and a system thought impossible to sustain.
George Bush SR promised us a kinder, gentler nation. A worthy goal that I hope we can live into.
A goal that seems to have been abandoned.
Give me liberty or give me death. The words of our forefathers still ring true
today, as does the justice and dignity imparted by our Constitution. The inspiration we
claim to be divined by God. Let us renew our commitment to truth and justice, and spread
the inalienable rights we herald to all peoples of the world. That would be a just
cause. That would be an expression of the American Dream.
But understand: Today I
am like the man standing in the path of a tank in Tienemen Square. I am not special, I am not privileged, I have no
delusions of immortality. I am but one
man, standing for the good of the people. Like others like me. I ask you to join me.
I am calling on each and every one of us to be what I call
New Patriots.
Call it corny or naive or just plain stupid. I call it a chance
for us to identify with each other in a new context. To be identified as a group of
people dedicated to the cleaning of the house, to the expulsion of corruption from our
government and corporations... from our daily lives.
It’s a time for reclamation. A time for renewal. A time to
forgive one another of our indiscretions and trespasses of the past, and move forward to
the future that we as a nation, as a planet of people, have always dreamed of having. It’s within our grasp. We only need to want it. And be it. And
share it with our neighbors.
We are a nation where tv news channels spend days talking with
audiences about the question “Are Americans too rude?” And no one says no. We become more defiant and
determined as we become more aggressive in seeking our individual goals. Let’s take time to agree that we will indeed
do unto others as we would have others do unto us.
A New Patriot would do that. A
New Patriot would do it for America.
A New Patriot would stand up for right against wrong wherever it
exists.
A New Patriot would prevent and abate corporate corruption and
governmental corruption, and pledge to do the best to spend the funds and resources
without waste. And not make malicious reports to even old scores.
A New Patriot would be the kind of person whose handshake and his
word were the only thing you need to make a deal, in a society where underlying intent
could be trusted to be honorable once again.
A New Patriot would conduct business and preserve the planet, and
realize that doing no harm is the part of the cost of doing business. And it saddens me that this is considered a
burden. Because a new patriot knows that when
they do it for America, they do it for
themselves, and their families and the natural beauty we have been blessed to view.
A New Patriot would
But a New Patriot would do these things, and everything, in simple
awareness and acknowledgement that they know the difference between right or wrong., and
conduct themselves accordingly. The alternative is what's occurring, each of us
trained to turn our backs on things we know are wrong, because it is "The way things
are done" these days.
Be A New Patriot. Do it
for America. Corny, but a worthwhile
endeavor. Consider what it would mean if you did something for America, for your
community, your planet that would benefit us all, and add to the viability of this planet,
the rights of people worldwide, and lead to greater understanding and co-existence?
Join us as we cause an era of peace and sharing and good health and
prosperity for the world - per the demands and needs of the people.
A new patriot would do that. A
New Patriot would find a way because it must be done. Someone must do it. If not you, then
who? If not now, then when? Do it for America.
Do it For Yourself. Do it for the good of us all.
It's for the world we say we all want to share in peace.
We don't have to agree on every preference and issue in order to
agree that the freedom to have those differences is worth more than all the money in the
world. If money and power are more important than the fabric of American
heritage... justice and freedom... and the country itself, then we will surely destroy
ourselves.
In the 60's, we demanded that the older generation be responsible for
passing the world to the next generation in a sound, safe, healthy condition. 35
years later, it should not require demand, but it does.
Take it on. Be a New Patriot. It's worth being passionate about
America.
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