I woke up this morning feeling compelled to make my two cents heard. On this, the eve of the Health Care Reform vote, I’m feeling a bit electric and I feel like people are really starting to see who’ve they elected into office to represent them–either passively by not voting at all or on purpose by not knowing who they were voting for.
I’m not talking Barack Obama here either. No matter what you think about the President–either because you have some pre-existing conditions with his race, complexion or whatever that you won’t admit out loud or in the presence of other colored folk– the truth remains–Barack Obama ain’t never gonna be no George Bush. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever. George Bush was THE worst president in the history of this country and whether Barack is hindered from his work by folk who wish him to fail or not– he will never match the wack-a-doodle lacky-ness of the Sith Lord (Dick Cheyney) and his Dubya-Idiocy-ship. Sorry.
Okay, that’s out of the way. I wrote an e-mail today to a complete stranger. He’s from Tennessee and he was complaining about his Congressperson being Marsha Blackburn on the Obama FB page. I don’t know why I felt compelled to write him. I just did. and this is what I wrote to him:
I’m sorry to bug you. We do not, in fact, know each other. It’s FB, so it’s cool, right? I was reading your post on Obama’s page and for some reason it stuck out to me. I went to Marsha Blackburn’s page to get a grasp of her position. Oh well, is all I could come up with.
What is needed at this point and further is for us–average U.S. Citizens– to really start organizing in our communities. If there is a rep that doesn’t rep us–and common sense and fight the good fight devoid of their own agendas– we MUST vote somebody else in who does. If THEY then don’t rep us–and common sense and fight the good fight, etc. We vote somebody else in. Electing people to do our work in Congress is an active process and if we don’t get active– we’ll stay with these collective political duds on all levels.
I have no idea why I felt compelled to write you. I don’t believe in coincidence though. Don’t be exasperated by Ms. Marsha Blackburn. Get your friends together and hand her, her job. Let her know what unemployment feels like.
Blessings,
-e-
What I didn’t add to that was the following:
We have soooo much power with “smaller” elections because there’s no electoral college. What it takes is folk simply to be politically active in each pocket of our smallest spaces. Sometimes it means hanging out with like-minded political thinkers, forming “thinking” groups that help create ideas, bring new blood into the political process and vote them in. This political system sucks rocks right now. Mostly bc, we’ve been bystanders for so long. I am soooooo included, even as a media personality. But no more. We the people, hold all the power. We the people can change the face of our crumbling political system. We the people can have universal heath care if we want it. We can have educational systems that actually teach our children the power of education and learning in every aspect of our lives. We can turn around this downward spiral of greed, blatant theft and utter disrespect for our money and our vote. We can have the country that makes us proud to be citizens as well as does what it’s designed to do. That is, represent OUR interests–ALL of us–not just the wealthiest 1%. We can do all of this by getting involved, staying involved and organizing our vision by claiming that WE are the people who actually run this country. It was made for us, the process was designed for us. And one step at a time, one elected official at a time. One victory at a time. We will have a country our children can thrive in–without racial, political or idiotic tomfoolery. One person can’t do this. But WE the PEOPLE can if we stand together.
I didn’t write all of that to him because I thought it to be weird–me preaching some supposed political utopia to a perfect stranger because he said he didn’t like his Congressperson. So I saved it for this post instead.
A lot of people think that the things we want are impossible because the status quo makes it so hard to get common decency into the conversation. What we can’t see behind the scenes of all the political posturing in the media is–the status quo is scared shitless right now. The staus quo of very old, very rich, very comfortable, very prejudiced, very pink male people punditry is losing it’s steam. Common sense is starting to win out over our being hen pecked by the Glenn Becks, Ann Coulters, Sarah Palins and Rush Limbaughs of the world. They are a dying breed. By sheer example of their limited thinking and divisive existence in a world that is constantly moving closer and becoming smaller, they too must evolve with the times or become extinct. Very fortunately for their point of view, extinction seems eminent.
WE the people are no longer a bunch of idiots that need our food or our news fed, chewed and swallowed for us. WE the people can discern for ourselves what is relevant and what is bullshit. WE no longer need pundits to tell us what is important. WE have gut reactions to actual facts. WE the people no longer need to be told what’s good for us or what the “American Dream” looks like by hacks on the right and the left who wouldn’t know what we really want if it was smacked in their faces via Mack truck.
WE the people are individual thinkers, critical thinkers with common sense. WE know this Health Care Reform bill isn’t perfect, but to NOT pass it would be like telling our 4 year old: “so what if you get sick honey or that we all have to live on the streets to pay our hospital bills. Our Congresspeople have decided that his or her life is more important than yours and mine and that his or her political agenda and office seat is more important than what’s best for all of us in the long run.”
Sorry my people, I just don’t have the stomach to tell my 4 year old that.
If you recall, the concept of “Civil Rights” underwent a series of very bloody, very public battles to evolve legislation that is still in play today. This is legislation that has evolved over the last 144 or so years it’s been law. Oh, you didn’t know about the Civil Right Act of 1866– funny how it was “radical Republicans” at the time who passed it.
And just like the forward thinking, inclusive, “all people are created equal” days of the Republican party has devolved into a George W. and Sarah Palin punchline, The original Civil Rights Act has evolved. And yes, there have been additions to the original concept as per legal necessity.
I believe the Health Care Reform Bill is no different. It’s a start. And just like some of us would literally still be property, and persecuted by the KKK and sitting only at the back of the bus–and by law must give up our seat to another human being who told us they were superior to us; drinking out of “Colored Only” fountains and handling our nature business in “Colored Only” restrooms; relegated to the uppermost balconies to watch a show in public theatres; not allowed to eat or live or work or read or become educated or be present at certain places because of our skin color–wait. A lot of that is STILL going on today isn’t it?
And yet, it’s illegal. There is a process in place that we can seek remedy for societal ills that wasn’t there before The Civil Rights Act of 1866 or 1871 or 1875 or 1957 or 1964 or 1991. And yes, there is only so far that any legislation can go. We can have all the laws we want in the world, but if WE the people don’t start evolving our thinking and behaviors, the laws become muted relics of mere historical significance.
The key point I’m making here is that passing Health Care Reform tomorrow is A START for us to having the universal Health Care initiatives that other forward thinking global citizens enjoy today. It will happen, we just have to keep at it. It will happen we just have to stay in the process. Not just during “big to do” election seasons. We have to stay involved on every level of the political process. We can no longer afford to allow people who don’t, can’t or won’t see the bigger picture–that is– the future of all of our children and their children and their children to live in a world that respects all life, all gender, all religion, all races, classes, sexual orientations and creeds. That respects our existence as being an individually compounded connection to The All–the greatest good there is.
If folk get caught up in their religion or their prejudice or their limited views or their greed agendas or their friends’ greedy agendas or their politics–there is no longer a place for people like these in public service. Period. The people we now elect to office have a proven track record of serving their communities and affecting change. Period.
Politics as we once knew it is dead. The days of the 1% of the privileged, divisive, ignorant, racist, prejudiced, greedy, homogeneously one complexion and one hair cut and one suit color and one majority gender and one tie color and one creed and one very lacking moral code– fighting for a cause that has nothing to do with WE THE PEOPLE and dictating to us through bullshit and fear mongering what we already know is not in our best interests– while governing our livelihoods by way of their narrow agendas and politics. All of this is now the past. These people are now relics of history. They are mere antiques we left in office and let tarnish in one of the most important buildings of our country’s history–the place where critical and creative ideas unfold, laws are made and all of our futures manifest. There is no room in our future for our broken, distorted and highly dysfunctional past and the people in Congress who represent those very outdated things.
I say to you WE THE PEOPLE, we hold ALL the power we could ever need. Our voices and our votes. You can make your voice heard right now. Call Congress and tell them you want this Health Care Reform Bill Passed tomorrow without falter. You can do that here: FINAL MARCH FOR REFORM. If they flake on this, they lose their job. And WE the PEOPLE will make sure of it.
The moral of this story? This post actually has one–ATTENTION ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS: CONSIDER YOURSELVES ON NOTICE. WE THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. GOOD LUCK IN YOUR NEW CAREER AS A PHARMA EXEC IF YOU CONTINUE TO DO YOUR WILL AND NOT OURS. I thank you for reading this. Peace and abundant “we ARE the people that WILL change the world” blessings. Love, -e-