There May Be More Hope to Come

Increasingly the hope versus hate monger machine seems to be on the grow. More and more there seem to be those whose insights are catching on to the manipulative put down machines of right wing ignorance and idiocy. What a wonderful fresh breeze is blowing, now that younger voters and wiser heads are teaming up to challenge the callous blame games and irresponsible finger pointing of an immature and unschooled group whom Vice President Agnew called ‘negative nabobs'.

Years ago, the governor of Tennessee, Frank Clement, asked a very stirring question in his keynote address at the Democratic convention, “How long, O America,” he asked and then pressed his question with specifics such as we need now. If asked today, the questions might look and sound this:

*How long, O America,” shall we be swayed by those who use adolescent strategies to influence our points of view?

“How long, O America,” will we give permission to manipulators and naysayers to bend our minds to their prejudices?

”How long, O America,” before we reclaim thinking and deciding for ourselves?

“How long, O America,” shall we bend to the agendas of the might, serving their goals and ends, while compromising our own?

“How long, O America,” shall we allow others to prescribe our values, determine our loyalties, shape our convictions?

“How long, O America,” before we use our own minds and commit our own hearts and invest our own energies in the good and true and honest?

There may be more hope to come, if we enable ourselves to raise the questions, examine the motives, insinuate our own perspectives into the grave and earth moving issues of our time. There will be more hope to come when we have risen to the heights of exercising common sense, using good judgment, disallowing others to play us like an instrument in their hands.

Welcome to the world of hope, where thinking for yourself is the rule, not the exception.