I'm Not Dead - Democratic Underground

Mythsaje

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Thu Dec-20-07 06:20 PM
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I'm Not Dead

Edited on Thu Dec-20-07 06:26 PM by Mythsaje

We're in the fight for the future of our Party, our country, and our world. Every moment of every day, the battle rages on. The battle against the corporations poisoning the Earth and the political dialog, against the hypocritical moralizers who want to tell us how to live, against the politicians who claim to represent us and yet never take even a single step to pave the way to a better future.

I stand here and see the fighting between supporters of the different candidates and know that, as aggressive and nasty as it gets, the motivation behind is a belief in the foundations of Democracy--that this Grand Experiment does not go so far awry that it's lost forever.

We're in the fight of our lives, but it's a war of ideas, of values, of conscience. Of words. Of facts. A battle for the hearts and minds and hopes of the American people. But not just the American people, because a strong, truly moral America could be the hope of so many others. An America freed from the burden of S. American death squads, secrets arms deals with enemies and allies, tacit and not-so-tacit support for "pro-American" tyrants throughout the world.

The "War on Terror" starts here, at home. With each of us. A war against intolerance, hatred, and fear. A war against imperialism and casual savagery done in our name. A war against false judgment, and passionate greed and stupidity.

The next elections here may or may not produce a "mandate." But we know that the majority of Americans want a sea change, even if they don't know precisely what that means. They want to be able to stand up and hold their heads high, saying "I'm an American" and feeling at least a touch of pride in the words.

There's only one way to gain, or regain, that. By standing up against the purveyors of greed, hatred, and destruction--be they our very own home-grown fanatics, or the same ideologically-driven extremists who hurled themselves against our highest towers to drive home a point.

This means fighting those who would bomb abortion clinics, African-American churches, synagogues, or even American mosques. Standing up to those who would beat a young gay person to death, or curse at an American soldier who'd finally had enough and just wants to come home.

We stand ready to oppose the vicious tongues of chickenhawk pundits, who claim to be fighting to preserve something that isn't even under attack, rather than standing to defend the Constitution and those who've given their lives for it.

We stand ready to oppose those who turn a blind eye on those in need, who suffer not for "what is done to the least of these."

They call us "wingnuts," "liberal loonies," and "DUmmies," but we stand for America, the Constitution, and freedom in a way they don't, and never have.

I'll stand up against them until I'm dead and gone.

So when the battle is joined, you'll know where I'll be. Standing here as I always have.

I'm not dead.

(the title of this thread dedicated to the best of all the "pop tarts," a young woman with the nerve to stand up for what's right and ask questions of the President he'd never answer... "how do you sleep while the rest of us cry?")

Good question, Pink. Too bad he'll never answer you.

edited because I forgot to spell-check