The Future Of Our Democracy Depends On Us!

Hope Is On The Way! As the presidential race is drawing to a close, it is our hope that a new era of American progressive politics will emerge. The short and failed experiment of George W. Bush's neo-conservatism will hopefully be defeated along with him on November 2nd, 2004. The work will not be over after the election, by no means. We should remain active, vocal, interested in the social discourse, and push our America towards modernity. Let's bring back civility in our political arena, create an environment of more tolerance, support science, provide our citizens with free education and universal health care, and be a true leader in the world community. A leader who's has the moral authority, the ability to forge alliances, be a progressive catalyst in the rest of the world, and become a leader whose qualities are envied not despised.

We cannot allow the Bush administration to continue its destructive foreign policy. The president acts in our name. We cannot afford the neo-conservatives and the belligerent hawks in the White House to divide our friends and unite our enemies!

We should also look beyond the smoke screens and the cheap tricks of the flag-waving pillagers of our national treasures. Most of us are true patriots who will sacrifice for our country, so we should chase out of power those who wear the American flag on their lapels, but at the same time transfer our wealth to big corporations and burden us and our children with huge debts. A strong leader, by the way, is not one who owes trillions of dollars to foreign agents. We support our troops, but the troops belong to all of America. Our blood cannot be shed without an imperative national cause. Those of us who have read history know that many empires died because of their arrogance. Hopefully, we can do better, because we have a democracy with choices presented to us, and no election in recent history has presented us with such clear choices--one, to move forward toward modernity, the other toward a microscopic world view.

Yet, choices are meaningless if not exercised. But with rights comes responsibility! In ancient Athens, all the citizens participated in the common affairs of the polis. A politis was an active citizen. The idiotes (the root of the word "idiot") were ridiculed as those persons who only cared about their private affairs.

If you are an informed and engaged citizen, it is your privilege and duty to vote in this and all future elections. If you're not, then you should think whether your apathy has made things better or worse for you, or simply it hasn't made any difference at all. If you decided that it doesn't really matter, then please don't cast your vote and let the rest of us decide. You won't hear this argument in many a places, but we are here to prod, criticize, chastise, motivate, inform, and learn along the way.

We hope you join us in this journey. Let's broaden our horizons.

Best regards,

Archon