Jon Stewart and the Lincoln Memorial

[Coexist]

I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.

Sunday morning after the rally, my son and I went on a brief walking tour of DC in great spirits from the day before. On the far side of the mall was the Lincoln Memorial; our last stop before heading for the airport. As we wandered past the strained faces of the marathon runners, I chose some pretty autumn leaves for my Thanksgiving table, and remembered the Halloween I had participated in my first 5K. We chatted and people watched as we strolled, until we came to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. Walking past the dark granite with the thousands of names, the thousands of lives, carved into it serves to turn your thoughts inward. It silences you... it makes you contemplative.

In this state of mind I reached the Lincoln Memorial. I've been here before, but never after walking through the Memorial, which I attribute to my immense appreciation for it that day. I found myself looking down at my feet, almost sad. The stone leading to the monument was rough hewn and there were neat rectangles of cobblestones as I approached the steps. It seemed very colonial. The steps begin with what looked to be a rose quartz. A little more refined and stately than what came before.

Almost at the top, I reached the white marble steps and caught my first good glimpse of the massive statue inside. The glistening marble seemed to trigger the emotion of having reached hallowed ground. I don't know of the architect meant for the journey to view the statue to be one of travelling from the ordinary to the extraordinary. That day, I can assure you, it seemed the most logical transition possible to place my mind where it should be when contemplating that great man.

I thought about how half the nation vilified Lincoln; how they choked on the outcome of our Civil War. I thought about how divided we are today.. still facing bigotry, injustice and intolerance. Standing where I was, at that moment I wished the entire country could just meditate on the lives lost in wars, and the energy wasted on feeding fear and hatred instead of building unity. How the media could be such a force for honesty and integrity if it chose to.

At that moment, I appreciated the rally more than I did while I was there.

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."

We need our media to tell the truth. Not both sides of an issue. Just the facts. And I think that was the meaning of my trip to DC. I decided that my path would be to take heart. Politics is cyclical. The crushing heartbreak of Bush V Gore eventually gave way to the pure joy of Barack Obama's inauguration. Whatever happens tomorrow, we did good the past 2 years. Healthcare reform, student loan reform, drawing down our troops in Iraq, S-chip, and too much more to name. Not perfect, but damn good.

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.

If we get an old fashioned trouncing tomorrow, I know that history will be kind; our elected representatives did the right thing. So, here's to an inspirational walk on a chilly DC morning, moderate losses, Jon Stewart, Abraham Lincoln, a stunning memorial, and our grand comeback in 2012!

My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.

:toast:

[Bitwit1234]

1. Oh how the media has let us down, truer words were never spoken

political activist should never be allowed to own our media. It should be fair and open and most of all informative with the TRUTH.

[Coexist]

2. the truth is never over rated