by Shelley Fowler
Oh, but if only I were an ostrich right now! Or at least, oh but if only I could do that which folklore (incorrectly) tells us an ostrich does when threatened by truth and reality, which is stick its head in a nearby hole or a pile of shifting sand!
But, alas! I am not even close to being such a feathered bird. Instead, I am one of 303,824,640 souls living within the boundaries of a country named the United States of America. And, like the rest of you, now is not the time to bury my head, nor my conscience, in those proverbial places. Nor is it the time to allow my voice to be silenced, or at the very least, muffled as I walk beside all those souls down a very precarious path that will become a fork in the road in less than a month!
I have a feeling that, like me and almost to a man and woman, each of you have had your faith sorely bruised and tested by the latest actions, words, priorities, and dare I say lies of many of our national leaders – those other men and women whom we have chosen to speak forth our deeply held beliefs and desires. And probably like many of you, I have been literally stunned by the disillusioning level of audacious and pretentious rhetoric which seems to flow like sweet milk from the mouths of those leaders and their loyal pundits. But it’s that same milk which quickly turns quite sour as it spills across the airwaves and television screen 24/7, eventually oozing its way into the cracks and crevices of our collective mind and spirit!
And taking the milk metaphor to its obvious conclusion, I will say that it is we – the ordinary, everyday, working, and yes, mortgage paying Americans – who must clean up the mess left by many gilded-mouthed and oft-times arrogantly self-righteous ‘leaders’ who seem to think they know better than we what we believe and want of our government!
Well, my dear fellow Americans! Unlike Harry S. Truman who believed “the buck stops at the President’s desk”, the current buck, or responsibility for who and what America represents, lies with you and me! Our representatives have made decisions that affect us all – many of them adversely, and all of them long-term. Now it is our turn to tell our leaders how we feel about their decisions. It’s not a time to react, but to act!
Figuratively speaking, do we go seeking a giant bucket of tar and a bag full of feathers? Do we get red-faced with indignant anger and curse those who have trampled upon our beliefs, opinions and billfold? Do we place all the blame and ills upon the other party and turn a blind eye to the one whose button we so proudly wear upon our lapel or whose sticker is displayed on our bumper or whose sign is stuck in our yard? Or do we throw up our hands in utter disgust with all politicians while muttering our discontent? Or, worst of all, do we do nothing at all?
Or….do we lead our leaders by example? Instead of using tar and feathers, do we seek a productive (and much less lethal) avenue of action that reminds them they are working for us, not the other way around? Do we, the ordinary citizens of this bountiful country, put aside our own bickering and name-calling, anger and special interests, and call out for reform that benefits all of us? Do we take up pen, keyboard and cell phone, using our voice and words to get the attention of those living far from the common man in a world of their own named Washington? Do we dare to cross those sacred party lines that we want to cleave to no matter who is at the helm? And finally, instead of calling one or the other of the many political figures wanting to represent us ‘the lesser of evils’, do we realize that they are all so very human, just like you and me – flawed, opinionated and far from perfect, but (I most fervently pray) for the most part wanting to make the right decisions for our nation!
Thus, we must each go forth on Election Day, 2008, and VOTE for those who best represent the ideals, beliefs and hopes we hold in our hearts! Along with that, we must earnestly seek wisdom and live responsible lives, doing our up-most best with what we have and earn! And between and betwixt that day and this, we must each strive to sift through all the innuendos, fluff, disillusionment and half-truths and find the leaders who have the wherewithal, stamina and honesty our country so sorely needs to survive and flourish!
As for me – and on a much lighter note – between now and then I’ll be doing my best to not grow feathers and act like that proverbial ostrich!
