it is a monday morning- and i have a whole google reader full of goodies. but i wanted to start out by saying this- we cannot rest. we are all relieved that obama won but the reality is- nothing has changed yet but our attitudes. i am tired and i know all of us are tired but we must not let our guard down. why? well, propostition 8 and it's counterparts in other states for one. the religious right is looking to close the power vacuum in the republican party and the mormons and catholics poured millions of dollars into california and arizona to ban same sex marriage. america has the bill of rights that states that we have freedom of religion for sure- but we also have freedom from state religion. this is not and never has been- a christian nation. this nation was built on the promise that all men are created equal and have the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. but you don't have to take my word- here are only a couple of newsy items to drive the point home:
misinformation on 'the view' from (surprise, surprise) hasslebitch and the other dumb one
bill kristol revives pnac- yep.
barack obama and his administration cannot fight our battles for us. it was proven in a landslide- that americans are not only- NOT right of center as a whole- but that we are sick and tired of the hasslebitches and the oreillys and the hannitys who are spreading poison throughout the country. the entire world cheered to be rid of the right wing- why on this earth would we want to go back to the way things were? these asshats may not be done raping and pillaging our globe's resources and putting everything into the hands of a few- ala feudal society- but we are more than done with them doing it.
obama can't do this alone. we, the people, must take an active role in rebuilding this country and our remaking our reputation by repudiating torture and war, redistributing wealth and resources to people in need around the globe, and repairing diplomatic ties with our allies and enemies alike. whether folks believe that global climate change is man made or not- is frankly irrelevent. it is here and it is making changes to the planet in spite of our desire for it not to. we really need to rethink our entire way of life and realize that we have to change. consumeristic capitalism is over. learning basic survival skills is a must.
so what can we do to work towards rebuilding america? get involved. millions volunteered their time in order to elect a different set of representatives to the american government- we need to stay active and stay involved in our own communities. volunteer at the election board to work for change in our election/voting system. the touch screen nightmares aren't going to go away. and if we can educate folks on what their voting rights really are- all of the misinformation fliers and dirty ads won't make a difference. work on getting a community garden plot started in your hometown. the harvest could be sold to folks who don't have much money and benefit the community by keeping good, fresh food local. push for composting at the local landfill- all of those leaves and yard waste collected weekly could be resold as garden compost and locals could buy at a discounted rate as incentive to grow their own food- just pick an area that speaks to you and get involved.
we have a real opportunity here. we can either sit back and let others have control as we have done for at least the last 3 decades- or we can take control back of our lives and our country and lead the way into the 21st century. the obama campaign showed us who have so very cynical that folks do want change. many are not sure how to get started or are too shy to start on their own- but if someone else steps up- they will follow. why not let it be us instead of the right? after all, we are supposed to be the progressive ones.
