396 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 29 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
OpEdNews Op Eds   

A Transformational Opportunity

By       (Page 2 of 2 pages) Become a premium member to see this article and all articles as one long page.   No comments

Wayne Williams
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Wayne Williams

"Barack Hussein Obama will be seen, as soon as three months into his Presidency, as one of the most able, wisest and transformational Presidents in our history.”

So what do we do now?  First - celebrate, and appreciate the hard work it took to overcome the purging of voters, theft of votes by corporate owned electronic voting systems and the powers of greed, religious and racial fear that is ingrained in so many of our nation’s populace after decades of manipulation and mental abuse by the radical right in both the media and on conservative religious pulpits across the nation.

Then we must recognize that this was not an overwhelming victory.  46% of the people of this nation did not vote with the majority, and they need to be reassured. They must not be allowed to continue to fear us or we them. 

Soon, it will quickly become time to get back to the hard work ahead. Our first step must be to clean up the mess they have created. We must get out of Iraq. Clean up our Voting Systems, the environment, and the economy and hold those who abused our rights accountable. Most importantly, institute Full Public Financing of Elections. This is the right thing to do.

There are many ways to accomplish this. For some it is countless phone calls, emails, precinct walking and donations. For others it is the simple patriotic act of voting and making sure your vote was counted. An action that is a right we must never allow ourselves to take for granted again. Waiting for others to do it is a sure way to repeat past failures.   

Start by joining your local Democratic Club, stay engaged, participate and continue to educate yourself.  Sign up to be a financial sustainer with a monthly small donation to groups like PDA (www.PDAmerica.org), MoveOn (www.MoveOn.org), the National Resources Defense Council (www.NRDC.org), Public Citizen (www.citizen.org) and others who work both inside and outside the government to effect progressive change. Support alternative news media outlets like MediaMatters.org, Buzzflash.com, Fair.org and BradBlog.com that are not corporate bastions of right wing dogma. These sites may be free on the Internet but a few dollars a month from thousands of people will revitalize true journalism that has been badly missing from corporate media on the networks and cable. Stay engaged and informed by reading news and information from around the nation and the world on the Internet. Make sure Network Neutrality keeps this incredible tool of democracy open to all. Consider starting your own email group where you send important news you have found to family and friends. In other words, connect, collaborate and act. 

As Ben Franklin was asked at the close of the 1787 Constitutional Convention, “…well Doctor, what have we got, a Republic or a Monarchy?”  He is said to have answered,  “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
--------
Article and photograph copyright 2008 Wayne Williams

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Well Said 3   Must Read 2   Interesting 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Wayne Williams Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

"Remember, no matter where you go, there you are." - B. Bonsai
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter

Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Tea Kettle Crowd: So You Want Your Country Back?

A Progressive Dream, Obama's Poker Game On Healthcare

100 days, or less, and enough of this G word?

Obama - Mr. Opportunity (return of the hollow man)

A Transformational Opportunity

One Progressives Perspective... It is about the Agenda not the candidate

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend