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Hello friends,
Yesterday, as I drove to an appointment, I noticed a bumpersticker that I hadn't seen before. It said "OOPS!", and the O's were the Obama Os with the sun rising over red and white stripes against a blue background. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I wondered about the car's driver.
The sticker made me curious if the driver voted for Obama and regretted it, or if he was simply pointing out what he considered a mistake. I have several friends and aquaintances who voted for Obama and have since wished they hadn't. I won't tell you for whom I voted, only that I wasn't thrilled with either prospect.
And this, my friends, is the point: since I have been of age to vote, there has not been a "great" choice for president yet. Even McCain, of whom I had high hopes, sold out in the first few months of his campaign. One friend says she would have loved it if the Obama she voted for had moved into the White House, but sadly the guy with all the potential hasn't shown up for work yet (her words, not mine).
So this rambling post comes to you on a hot Thursday afternoon filled with questions and concerns about whether or not we as a country can put forth a decent leader anymore. We're so busy looking for someone perfect that we've lost sight of looking for someone who can do the job. After all, that is what the Presidency is: a job. It has a list of duties, and we need the best people to do the work, not the best people to look good on tv or the people with the best speech writers.
If you're having regrets, remember that when the elections come around. Find out which candidates are good people, not just good lookers. Finally, a note of wisdom paraphrased from a TV show: some of the greatest minds and people of all time held simple jobs. Do not equate wisdom and competence with occupation. To do so is, at best, insulting. (from "Warehouse 13")
I hope you're enjoying your summer, friends. Remember to live freely in the day, to live for today, and to live in respect for yourself and the world around you.
Take care,
MK
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Independence Day
On this day, 234 years ago, the founding fathers of our country declared to the world that they will not sit idly by while someone with little connection to the people levied taxes on them from afar and created laws of ever-increasing intrusion into the lives of the citizenry.
Centuries later, we seem to have forgotten that kings are not the only tyrants. Today I implore you: celebrate your independence by exercising it every day. Remember that living in a free society is hard, sometimes harder than living under an oppressive government. To paraphrase a movie, this is advanced citizenship; you have to want it bad because it's going to put up a fight.
Being free means that your neighbor is free to make his decisions, too. This is where we fall; we don't want anyone telling us what to do, but we want even more to make sure that our neighbors don't do anything that we don't like.
Remember, people, what today is about. It's not about the soldier who fights to protect our freedoms, grateful as we are for the sacrifice. It's not about the flag we fly in patriotism to show that we support our country, our brothers, our leaders. It's not about grilling with friends or fireworks. It's about standing up as a people and saying that we will not be told how to live. It's about ordinary citizens arming themselves and saying to the government that it will answer to them, not the other way around.
As you celebrate, remember that a free citizenry is one that protects itself from interference. Many people died over 200 years ago, nearly none of whom were soldiers, to tell the world that the people of this continent are free; many soldiers have died since then to protect that freedom. In the face of such sacrifices, how can we balk at simply speaking up for ourselves? How can we shirk the responsibility handed down to us to protect such precious ideals? It is our sacred duty, our honor, and our obligation. We owe it to ourselves and our children to stop the tide of legislation that every year takes us further from our founding principles.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to start the grill.
Centuries later, we seem to have forgotten that kings are not the only tyrants. Today I implore you: celebrate your independence by exercising it every day. Remember that living in a free society is hard, sometimes harder than living under an oppressive government. To paraphrase a movie, this is advanced citizenship; you have to want it bad because it's going to put up a fight.
Being free means that your neighbor is free to make his decisions, too. This is where we fall; we don't want anyone telling us what to do, but we want even more to make sure that our neighbors don't do anything that we don't like.
Remember, people, what today is about. It's not about the soldier who fights to protect our freedoms, grateful as we are for the sacrifice. It's not about the flag we fly in patriotism to show that we support our country, our brothers, our leaders. It's not about grilling with friends or fireworks. It's about standing up as a people and saying that we will not be told how to live. It's about ordinary citizens arming themselves and saying to the government that it will answer to them, not the other way around.
As you celebrate, remember that a free citizenry is one that protects itself from interference. Many people died over 200 years ago, nearly none of whom were soldiers, to tell the world that the people of this continent are free; many soldiers have died since then to protect that freedom. In the face of such sacrifices, how can we balk at simply speaking up for ourselves? How can we shirk the responsibility handed down to us to protect such precious ideals? It is our sacred duty, our honor, and our obligation. We owe it to ourselves and our children to stop the tide of legislation that every year takes us further from our founding principles.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to start the grill.
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