What if We Just Keep on Changing?

Oh my, it’s hard to keep up with the freedom and releases of domestic terror tactics of the Bush gang now that President Obama is in the White House.

Is it perfect? By no means. But of course, the US is a democratic republic, not a utopia. Of course there will be mistakes made, and misdirections followed. But the closed society that the Bush gang was creating, step by step in the model of Hitler, Mussolini, Pinochet, Stalin and others of that evil ilk, is fast being dismantled. And in it’s place is a free and open society, one that does not torture, one that honors the writ of habeus corpus, and one that includes everyone in this great conversation we call America.

The joy and great happiness that came with Barack Obama’s election was in part that he is our first Black President. In part for the honoring of the tremendous sacrifices made to end slavery in our country, to end Jim Crow, to end segregation, and to heal the racism that is the killing virus in our history. Part of the joy of this man and his family entering the White House for the next four, possibly eight years, is that they are affable, likeable, loving and kind people, that their two darling daughters are such joys, and that we have longed for friendly people as leaders for so many years.

But I’m also convinced that a huge part of ours, and the world’s joy, happiness and relief, is that this neo-fascism that Bush and his gang tried to inflict on Americans and the world has come to an end, without their brand of murderous evil continuing. The world breathed a great sigh of relief to see this modern version of hateful leadership leave our government, finally, after years of fear-mongering, hate-based politics, and evil deeds. We are happy for the end of this horrible man’s legacy, and the leaving of his tribe of haters.

It’s a relief.

From this relief can now come energy for change. And what if we just keep on changing? What if we envision a nation of service to others, of compassion and love toward our fellow citizens and toward the world? What if we take on a leadership role as a loving and kind equal member of the world of nations, a people who lift others up, who figure out how to share the world’s resources rather than bullying others out of theirs?

What if honor returns to America? What if we can look ourselves in the eye, as President Obama has stated, and say to ourselves, "We are America. We believe in freedom, the rights of due process, the right of having to be proven guilty. We don’t torture. We honor all people, and hold these truths to be self-evident: That all people are created equal, even gays, lesbians and Iraqis. That all people are endowed with certain unalienable rights, not just those who attend our name-brand church. And among these rights are life, liberty to marry anyone we wish, and the pursuit of happiness."

We are America once again. And the fascists have left the building. We bless them, but still hold them accountable for their crimes. And, we do so in due process, even though they wouldn’t extend that right to us.

Long live freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in America, and around the world.