Questions of Authority

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Sat, 29 Jan 2005 22:57:36 -0500

[Air_America_Radio] Questions of Authority

 

 

A good friend of mine; Barbara (thanks so much!) sent this to me and it

is so well written, that I hope you all will read it and forward it on to

all who you know, and especially to those who don't seem to understand

what's going on in our country right now. Even to all representatives,

send this below:

 

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Questions of Authority

 

Each day, a shimmering lure is dangled before us, enticing and dangerous.

It usually comes cloaked in a special code word, like " reform, " and

promises great rewards. But there's always a catch. We are asked for a

favor in return.

 

On Social Security, we are asked to walk away from a guaranteed

retirement system that grants independence to our parents. We are asked

to cast future generations adrift, leaving them to the cold mercies of

heartless market tides.

 

On education, we are asked to look the other way as our schools fade from

bright communities of learning and creativity into bland and dreary

testing factories, designed to make themselves look good at the expense

of our children.

 

On poverty, we are asked to ignore the exodus of jobs, as if every last

penny of corporate profit is more important than food in a child's

stomach. We are asked to cast aside those who have fallen on hard times,

as if lending a hand to a neighbor contaminates us both.

 

On health care, we are asked to desert the sick, as if they are unworthy

of wellness. We are asked to cover our ears, shutting out the stories of

loss and pain and grief, as if sharing the burden would diminish us.

 

On freedom, we are asked to toss aside the lessons of history and carve

up the bill of rights, leaving nothing more than a flimsy lacework of

meaningless words. We are asked to trade the Founding Fathers' enduring

legacy for a mirage that could be mistaken for safety.

 

On justice, we are asked to abandon our friends, our family and our

neighbors to the cold accounting of corporate lawyers, as they seek to

profit from products they know are dangerous ... or deadly. In torture

chambers and newly-constructed gulags, we are asked to forsake the

innocent, sacrificing them on the alter of security, as if the shedding

of their blood could magically vanquish the guilty.

 

On war, we are asked to close our eyes to destruction and lies. We are

asked to cower in the face of evil, like frightened children at the hand

of a tyrant. We are asked to step aside and be silent as the juggernaut

of death unleashes its unholy terror on countless helpless innocents.

We are each asked to stand alone, to withdraw our personal strings from

the fabric of the Great Society and prepare the loom for the Raw Deal.

In all these ways, we are asked to walk out on our commitment to each

other, so that those who need the least can gain the most.

 

But That is not Who We Are

We are the citizens of the United States of America.

We know better than to look away.

We have the strength to challenge those who would ask us to sacrifice our

principles for personal gain.

 

We have the power to defy those who would ask us to give up our freedom,

those who would ask us to smother our bravery beneath the dark shadows of

fear.

 

We know right from wrong, and more importantly, we know how to stand up

for what's right. The time has come to stand together, arm in arm, and

fight for what we believe.

 

 

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