I just sent out an email to the people who write content for OpEdNews. It's an invitation to think about a more positive future for America. Since anyone is welcome and encouraged to submit articles to OpEdNews, I thought I'd expand the invitation to include all our readers who could become writers-- and that includes YOU.

For the next few weeks, with congress out, I encourage you to write about positive things you'd like to see the new congress do-- besides investigate and impeach. Where can a more left-leaning congress take America? What visions for America's future have a better chance of rising on the horizon? We who contribute content to OpEdNews have an opportunity to help set the path, to light the way towards a brighter, more positive future-- to identify opportunities Americans have to heal the world, to make humanity a better species.

I encourage you to wax hopefully and enthusiastically, grounding that optimism with pragmatic discussion of the barriers to fulfilling those hopes. We've come a long way since the 2004 elections and there is no reason to doubt that, with strong, visionary leadership, we can't continue to make gains.



We progressives on the internet (I'm not calling us the blogosphere because OpEdNews is a hybrid, with a different "flavor" than the typical blog sites) do have power. We can best exercise that power by speaking out, by expressing our ideas, sharing them, reaching concensus and using the tools of the net to get the message to our legislators and local media.

I am not convinced that the old forms of demonstrations and protest come close to the power of the passionate progressives on the web to push for change (that said, I have been very impressed by the work of Cindy Sheehan and a small group of allies, including our regular writer, Missy Beattie.) We have seen that we can make a difference and, my friends, I am certain that we have NOT yet seen the full power and influence we are yet capable of achieving.

We need to keep working together, building new, stronger, more effective organizations, empowering our organizations and efforts more effectively with the new tools of the web. That is happening and will continue to happen.

So, please let loose with your heart and spirit, articles that give your readers a vision of the near and distant future that portrays a better America, a better citizenry, a better world.

Thanks,

Rob Kall