We, the people...
This nation, founded by idealists educated in Latin, Greek, history and the rights of man as espoused by a long line of European philosophers, has chosen a worthy successor to the office held by Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, two Roosevelts, a Kennedy and many others.
As I counsel our next generation of leaders as they strive to earn the Boy Scouts' Citizenship in the World merit badge, the young men and I study the powerful yet beautiful words of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States:
"We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
A mere 52 words, barely five or six lines on paper, sit atop our entire body of law, all government, and many of the political and societal rituals with which we are familiar and accustomed in this land.
These words ring so true to many Americans this week. Americans who have not felt American in the fullness of the word. Americans whose lineage goes back further in history than my own family's late 19th century immigrant stories, but Americans who have not felt fully American until now.
Intensely free-spirited and intensely patriotic--yet intensely liberal--for most of my life, the election of Barack Obama this week has been one of my proudest moments. Finally, I have seen this great, great nation break through one of its last barriers--the American apartheid--and elect an intelligent, prudent, pensive man of color to serve as our forty-fourth chief executive.
It's more than disintegrating a racial barrier, though. We've elected the man with the vision to lead our nation back from the depths of war and financial crisis. A man in the mold of Roosevelt and Kennedy, a man who can inspire the nation to do great things. Perhaps like Kennedy's urging the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade, Obama can lead our nation to responsible energy independence through reduced consumption. Perhaps he can put an end to our unjust and immoral war in Iraq, yet accomplish the undone mission of punishing those hiding in the borders of Afghanistan or Pakistan who are truly responsible for 9/11.
The challenges of the economy, war, health care, global warming and rogue nations seem insurmountable to someone like me, yet I have hope that Barack and his team have a better chance than anyone else to lead us forward.
"Yes we can," the mantra of Obama's campaign for change, has risen above the high level of hope it inspired for these last two years. Now, change is so close we can almost feel it, touch it, experience it ourselves. I, for one, can hardly wait for the 20th day of January in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, when President Barack Hussein Obama steps in to lead our great nation forward.
As I counsel our next generation of leaders as they strive to earn the Boy Scouts' Citizenship in the World merit badge, the young men and I study the powerful yet beautiful words of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States:
"We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
A mere 52 words, barely five or six lines on paper, sit atop our entire body of law, all government, and many of the political and societal rituals with which we are familiar and accustomed in this land.
These words ring so true to many Americans this week. Americans who have not felt American in the fullness of the word. Americans whose lineage goes back further in history than my own family's late 19th century immigrant stories, but Americans who have not felt fully American until now.
Intensely free-spirited and intensely patriotic--yet intensely liberal--for most of my life, the election of Barack Obama this week has been one of my proudest moments. Finally, I have seen this great, great nation break through one of its last barriers--the American apartheid--and elect an intelligent, prudent, pensive man of color to serve as our forty-fourth chief executive.
It's more than disintegrating a racial barrier, though. We've elected the man with the vision to lead our nation back from the depths of war and financial crisis. A man in the mold of Roosevelt and Kennedy, a man who can inspire the nation to do great things. Perhaps like Kennedy's urging the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade, Obama can lead our nation to responsible energy independence through reduced consumption. Perhaps he can put an end to our unjust and immoral war in Iraq, yet accomplish the undone mission of punishing those hiding in the borders of Afghanistan or Pakistan who are truly responsible for 9/11.
The challenges of the economy, war, health care, global warming and rogue nations seem insurmountable to someone like me, yet I have hope that Barack and his team have a better chance than anyone else to lead us forward.
"Yes we can," the mantra of Obama's campaign for change, has risen above the high level of hope it inspired for these last two years. Now, change is so close we can almost feel it, touch it, experience it ourselves. I, for one, can hardly wait for the 20th day of January in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, when President Barack Hussein Obama steps in to lead our great nation forward.
posted by Joe Wollet at 9:33 PM
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