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yes we can
Nov. 4th, 2008 11:32 pmI rarely say this, but I am proud to be an American citizen today. This was my first big election, and I can only hope to see how my country becomes a better homeland for all of its citizens in the years to come.
But the battle's not over, not by a long shot. I'm glad that most Californians and I voted the same way on the propositions, except for the redistricting one (dude, WTF, way to grant permission to disenfranchise a ton of voters!) and more significantly, Proposition 8. We can't sit back and just hope for change.
A month ago I was interviewing an Obama precinct captain and some local community organizers for a story on Asian Americans and campaigning for the candidates. For them, Obama's appeal wasn't just about creating a culture of change in Washington, but reigniting a sense of civic activism in ordinary citizens that's been gone for years. I predict at the top levels of government there'll be a lot of partisan gridlock considering how many ideas are floating around about how we should address the economic crisis, healthcare reform, environmental conservation efforts, the wars abroad and so many other issues. Reaching consensus when the stakes are higher than ever is going to be a painfully drawn-out process.
We can't just wait around for our Congresspeople to legislate solutions to us. Our politicians are only as responsible to us as we are to them; effective reform is not top-down alone. That communities will come together to bring back democracy to the front porch again and attack the issues at the local level, too. Our school districts need us to mentor struggling kids at risk of falling through the cracks. We need volunteers and donors to make sure that our hospitals outreach to the sick in need of aid, for arts organizations to create productions that enrich the soul (cheesy but true), for consumer watchdog groups to monitor the safety of our products, to name a few.
We can't just sit back and expect our president to fix everything to everyone's satisfaction. We as citizens must own our responsibility to look out and care for each other. How successful Obama's presidency will be depends on our input as regular citizens and community members.
I am reminded of Eleanor of Aquitaine's monologue in the Lion in Winter - the future is in our hands as much as it was in 1183.
How clear we make it. Oh, my piglets, we are the origins of war: not history's forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government, nor any other thing. We are the killers. We breed wars. We carry it like syphilis inside. Dead bodies rot in field and stream because the living ones are rotten. For the love of God, can't we love one another just a little - that's how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children. We could change the world.
But the battle's not over, not by a long shot. I'm glad that most Californians and I voted the same way on the propositions, except for the redistricting one (dude, WTF, way to grant permission to disenfranchise a ton of voters!) and more significantly, Proposition 8. We can't sit back and just hope for change.
A month ago I was interviewing an Obama precinct captain and some local community organizers for a story on Asian Americans and campaigning for the candidates. For them, Obama's appeal wasn't just about creating a culture of change in Washington, but reigniting a sense of civic activism in ordinary citizens that's been gone for years. I predict at the top levels of government there'll be a lot of partisan gridlock considering how many ideas are floating around about how we should address the economic crisis, healthcare reform, environmental conservation efforts, the wars abroad and so many other issues. Reaching consensus when the stakes are higher than ever is going to be a painfully drawn-out process.
We can't just wait around for our Congresspeople to legislate solutions to us. Our politicians are only as responsible to us as we are to them; effective reform is not top-down alone. That communities will come together to bring back democracy to the front porch again and attack the issues at the local level, too. Our school districts need us to mentor struggling kids at risk of falling through the cracks. We need volunteers and donors to make sure that our hospitals outreach to the sick in need of aid, for arts organizations to create productions that enrich the soul (cheesy but true), for consumer watchdog groups to monitor the safety of our products, to name a few.
We can't just sit back and expect our president to fix everything to everyone's satisfaction. We as citizens must own our responsibility to look out and care for each other. How successful Obama's presidency will be depends on our input as regular citizens and community members.
I am reminded of Eleanor of Aquitaine's monologue in the Lion in Winter - the future is in our hands as much as it was in 1183.
How clear we make it. Oh, my piglets, we are the origins of war: not history's forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government, nor any other thing. We are the killers. We breed wars. We carry it like syphilis inside. Dead bodies rot in field and stream because the living ones are rotten. For the love of God, can't we love one another just a little - that's how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children. We could change the world.
