Vote for Barack Obama & Joseph Biden

Greetings Everyone,

I'll try to keep this as brief as possible because my neck pain is bothering me today and I promised Daina that I would not spend too much time staring at the computer screen. I'd also like to take a very brief moment to say that, you're receiving this email because I'm guessing that we're of like mind. If you disagree with my thoughts and statements then you can simply delete this letter now and proceed no further. Understand also that, if you do delete this email, I will like you no less nor more than I did before. Friendships are something that I've always held dear and I certainly would never let my political beliefs interfere with the bonds that I share with each and everyone of you. That being said, please understand that I offer no apologies for what I am about to say as I believe with every fiber of my being that the words contained in this letter are fitting and just to these times just as they would be fitting and just to any time in our history. Truth needs no excuses nor does it make any... it is what it is.

I guess the subject line of this email says it all. I know I may be stating the obvious but please indulge me for the length of this letter. Read it only when you feel that you have the proper time to do so as its content does not lend itself to brief perusal.

Five days… In five days we will be faced with a decision that will reflect upon ourselves for centuries to come. There are few elections in the history of this country that hold the importance of the one that is a mere five days from now. This election holds not only hope for our country on issues such as economics, foreign affairs, security, self reliance, and a myriad of other problems brought about by the current leadership of this country. It will define who we are not only as a country but the greater aspect of who we are as human beings.

I reiterate, few are the elections in the history of this country that hold the significance of the one we are about to undertake. The first presidential election of George Washington that witnessed the launching of a new nation, the election of Abraham Lincoln that saw us through our bloodiest and most shameful period of time revealing the better angels of our nature, the choice of electing Franklin Delano Roosevelt to office that helped us through nationwide poverty, a world at war, and the launching of new prosperity, and, finally, the years of “Camelot” that saw John F. Kennedy presiding over a time of change, and not only standing at the abyss of midnight during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but weathering that storm and starting down the path that allowed mankind to leave its earthly cradle, even though he himself would not be witness to it. In my waking hours, not a day passes where I hope and pray that this upcoming election will join these hallmark periods, in whose noble and mighty company, it will know no shame.

We now stand on the brink of not only doing what is best for our country, but defining that, which makes us most human. Our ability to love and respect our fellow human beings as we love and respect ourselves. It is at this time that we must appeal to the noblest aspect of our nature and make America a nation whose ideals reflect all that is true and good. The idea that states that without a freedom of all people, you have nothing. You have tyranny and deceit. History bears witness to this truth time and time again, and at every single point in time the answer remains the same. When the voice of the people (ALL people) is stolen from them, when you have a single person who uses the power of ultimate leadership to further the agendas of himself and his associates, and stands answerable to no one… then you no longer have a nation of freedom, justice, truth, and that which stands as proper and fitting to the treatment of its people. Freedom must stand for us all… every single individual… or it stands for no one. In this, there is no middle ground from which to govern a country and its people. In the end, it must ultimately be the will of the people that shepards the course of a nation.

Whether we wish it or not, the eyes of the world will watch and judge us. We will arise from this decision as famous or infamous. We will either choose to return to the path of light or continue down the current course to the ruin of us all. Lest we think that this could not possibly happen we need do little more than to look upon the wisdom afforded us by history itself. The greatness that was once Egypt that lasted for thousands of years, the Roman Empire, whose world dynasty was without equal and controlled the civilized world for over a millennia, and the empires of Great Britain and Japan where it was believed that the sun would never set upon them… yet it did.

We as a nation have only stood for little over the span of 230 years. Even today, we cannot ever envision ourselves losing our status as THE world power that drives the machinations of the rest of the world. I’m sure neither could anyone in any of those past empires that stood far longer than a mere two centuries. Nevertheless they DID come crashing down. Do not think for a moment that the same could not happen to us. All of those past nations shared one major concept; they did not reflect the will of their people nor were their leaders answerable to anyone but themselves.

As I’ve mentioned, the tenets of this election run far more deeply than what we should do for the health of this nation. It will more clearly define those aspects that make us human. Love, benevolence, self-sacrifice, compassion, trust, a belief in the equality of all people and the desire to do what is right.

As an educator, I am faced each day with many young faces staring back up at me, hanging on my words, and putting complete trust in the fact that what I’m telling them is the truth. Up until this election race, I have not been able to say that they can do and become whatever it is they desire. To undo the ultimate innocence that is the province of children is an evil thing. However, I cannot lie to them. I cannot sacrifice the truth. Please understand that I have never, nor will I ever, tell them that certain dreams are unattainable for certain people. However, I must tell them our country’s history (up to present day) without coating it in any falsehoods. Even the young can piece together certain facts to come to a conclusion. When the conclusion leads to an end that strips away yet another layer of their dreams, I can often times see some of the light that is innocence disappear from their faces… it’s heart rending… it tears at my very soul. How do you tell someone so young that certain people will think ill or “less than” of them for no better reason than the way they look?

Yet there exist people who will live in a lie for their entire lives simply to feel that they are better than others rather than their equal. People who get so caught up in wanting to be right that they ignore the truth. They ignore the truth to such a degree that they actually begin to believe that the falsehoods they are entertaining are indeed the truth! The truth becomes such a far and distant thing to them that they are willing to choose a course that begins to erode the very qualities that makes them human! They can convince themselves that, as long as there is someone in a position of power, authority, or simply has a source to speak to the masses telling them what they WANT to hear instead of the truth, that they are on the side of right. No one wants to hear that their thoughts are wrong on various aspects, however, when faced with a simple truth that may run contrary to our beliefs, we can choose to ignore it and brush fact aside or delve more deeply into it to get to the truth. To move forward in a positive way the latter must always be the methodology employed or else we remain in the darkness. What we then do with these revelations is the true test of our humanity.

So I am asking that, in five days, you vote for someone who will not only steer this country away from its ruinous path on so many levels, but also someone who in casting a vote for, you will show forth that which defines us as human. I’m asking that you vote for Barrack Obama and Joseph Bidden. Not only because of the historical significance of this nation’s first black president but because they will help everyone get back on their feet again rather than just pad the wallets of the few who sit upon the top of the economic ladder. If you need any further convincing then ask yourself this simple question, “Has John McCain or Sarah Palin mentioned any plan, policy, or even mere idea, that is any different than what George Bush has been employing in his past two terms?” Do not answer me and do not answer this question to anyone else but yourself. I only ask that you be truthful and honest with yourself. No one will be around to judge whether you are wrong or right so please just answer it for yourself. Not to your self-satisfaction, just to your SELF. In the end, you may or may not have an answer that you like but at least you’ll have the truth. You possess the freedom to do with it whatever you will, I only ask that you do that which makes us human. Then take that and please go vote.

Kevin

P.S. If you need any further convincing, consider this: John McCain is 72 years old. By the end of the next presidential term, he’ll be 76. The current average male life expectancy in the U.S. is 75.6 years. So we have a man that’s technically at “Death’s Door” with Sarah Palin lined up as president should he pass away. I think I’ll move to Canada first.