Throughout our nation’s history, there have been numerous times where we’ve reconciled with our past. On November 7th, we are given that chance again. A chance to reconcile our bad choices from both the 2000 and 2004 elections. Although I’m biased, I’d say it goes back further than that, perhaps even as far back as 1994 or even earlier, but that’s just me.
Reconciliation, to me, means doing the things it takes to set things right again. It’s high time that we, as a country, take the steps to right the wrongs and put ourselves back on the path to being the greatest nation on Earth. The values ensconced in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence are ones we seem to have lost sight of lately. The idea that all men are created equal is a great theory that still needs to be fully put into practice. The idea of human dignity is one that has been slowly eroded the past few years, and even more so now with the disregard of Article III of the Geneva Conventions. The time is past for asking how we got here. The time is now for doing the hard work of embracing equality in both the social and political realms. Our foreign policy needs to be consistent regardless of who we’re dealing with. Our domestic policy needs to reflect that same consistency and equality regardless of the class, race, sex, or sexual preference of the individual. And our economic policies need to reflect an emphasis on the individual over the corporation.
I realize that in order to resolve some of the more contentious issues facing our nation politically right now requires some degree of compromise as well. The recent compromise on torture, however, is not one of those times. Righteous anger at those who have commited these wrongs is not always the best way to handle our problems, although in most cases it is warranted. While our anger can remain, we must stay calm and diligently report the facts, fervently dispute inaccuracies, and never allow ourselves to stoop to their level. The personal attacks will come and we will fight back, but never must we engage in the same behaviors as that makes us no better than them. We must reconcile our past, set right the things gone wrong, and November 7th is the time to do it.
