The following paragraphs were not written by me… they were written by “Joe” so credit must be given to him. I found them very enlightening and perspective. It is very much like what I want to write, in part, denonstatind one side of what i've been doing for nearly 50 years.
How do we accept and work with the reality of our country
and world in 2008? How can we begin to
make amends for centuries of conquest of the land and its inhabitants and for
the present day realities of war and global warming? We can start by doing the right thing
today. We can collectively wake up to
human and non-human suffering and healing, seeing our roles as helpers,
healers, and instruments of peace.
I believe that we are
alive in a very special time. This
present moment offers us an opportunity to direct our individual and collective
energies towards a more sustainable and just future. I believe that electing Barack Obama as the
President of the United States is a right action that can help steer this
country towards healing and recovery, a process that is an important step in
ensuring a healthy future for generations to come. Electing Obama as our President will not
immediately resolve legacies of violence and injustice, but will serve as a vital
and important step in working towards true peace and healing, within our own
country as well as in relation to others.
I have just
celebrated my thirtieth year on this planet.
(Thank you God!) For the first
time in my life, there is a presidential candidate who I can fully believe in
and support. (Thank you God!) Barack Obama represents to me the best side
of American political consciousness. He
is inspiring in his drive to empower ordinary citizens and communities to rise
above their differences and unite for the greater good. Obama's clear ability to think and make
decisions critically, intelligently, and creatively gives me hope that we can
pick up the broken pieces of this country and create something beautiful.
Yesterday I joined two friends in Detroit on a bike ride
along the Detroit River to hear Barack Obama speak in Hart Plaza. We walked our bikes in anticipation and awe
among the tens of thousands of people sharing the space and excitement. As Obama gave a brief address to the crowd,
he spoke about the importance of unions and the organized labor movement. He suggested that we can learn from this
movement about how to take care of each other in situations like the hurricane
on the Gulf Coast and in our every day lives.
His simple message of Brotherhood and Sisterhood reaches far beyond the
immediate political realm into values that are core human truths.
We have been working on this for generations. The struggles and sacrifices of the Civil
Rights Movement, the Labor Movement, the American Indian Movement, and the
Environmental Justice Movement among many others working for peace and justice
have all helped this opportunity to manifest.
We are ready for real change and transformation in the
United States and in the world. We need
a leader like Obama to help us move through these changes. Although he will not resolve all of our
domestic and international issues for us, he has the ability to lead and
inspire people in our country to work together for a collective change that no
one can do alone. We need each
other! Its not about Democrats and
Republicans, its not about Black and White, it is about an inclusive and
sustainable future for the USA and for the human race.
Every small action that we do to lend support to the Obama
Campaign makes a difference toward achieving our vision. I am dedicating a performance on October 3rd
at the Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor to an Obama future. I will be accompanied by an amazing drummer
from Detroit named Gayelynn Mckinney and vocalist Ann Judge. We will also be joined by special guest poets
Brian Babb and Will Copeland. Please
join us in collecting and sharing our energy of hope and excitement in support
of President Obama.
I am seeking help in spreading the word for this event and
am looking for street team volunteers to help hang posters and distribute
handbills around Ann Arbor. Let me know
if you are available. Please also
forward the press release below to any friends in the media.
Thanks for all that you do each day to ensure a brighter
future for generations to follow. I am
sure they are smiling and singing with us.
In Peace,
Joe
To myself, I've struggles for well over a year about weather or not to remove this article. I really don't like the the tone of it: the idea that at "we all need a great person to lead us through troubled times." All my life, I've believed that change continues, throughout the history, as series of popular struggles led not by politicians but by "educated" people, some of whom have been schooled through activism in College, an many people who have worked all their lives and learned to engage collectivity through what he calls "right action," but the more I think of it, the more I think he means one right thing like planning an event, whereas I believe in sustained activity over the long haul. I keep it here because I don't like "Doctrinaire" politics, I like to believe that that left can itself as healers and guardians of the Earth. It's because I'm a Marxist Theories way 100 years ago had good tings things to say about ecological problems and other matters I haven't focused so much attention on.
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