Breathe, America
Change may be coming, but some things will always remain
Brian Roewe
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: Opinion
The election is over. For better or for worse, whether you agree or disagree, Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States come January 20, 2009.
So, what does this mean? What is the outlook for our nation? These questions are not easily answered. And at this time, no one has those answers. Only the next four years hold insight into them.
But we as Americans still speculate, as is our nature. Some see immense changes. Some see it for good. Some see it for bad. For me, I see what lies ahead as a new endeavor through our American history. While many have emphatic feelings, beliefs and fears for our future, I try to hold a clear and objective view of what lies ahead.
I believe in America.
From the birth of this nation, we have struggled, we have fought and we stood been divided. But through it all, we have overcome. We have persevered through animosity and war, through turmoil and depression, through fear and segregation.
In the end, America has always overcome, and it will do so today and beyond.
From the reaction of many McCain supporters, the outlook for our nation appears dark and dismal. No hope exists, and we will soon see our eventual demise. I see such mindsets as narrow and blind. In our history, there has been many a contested election. From Lincoln v. McClellan, Kennedy v. Nixon, America has seen her share of high stakes elections, and through it all, she has persevered.
Today, America will be no different.
For those afraid of the socialist, terror-ridden world we are entering, my first suggestion - breathe. Take a deep breath, and while doing so, remember America's history. She has seen the likes of Johnson, Grant, Coolidge and Hoover. She has persevered. America moves in broad strokes. She swings from one party to another, in dramatic fashion. She prefers change. She frowns upon monotony. She thrives in new life.
What we can never forget is the principles upon which our nation was established. Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. Government of the people, by the people, for the people.
Such statements are not mere words. They are the lifeblood which flow through our towns and tributaries, our rivers and roads, our fields and freedoms.
An Obama presidency will not be the end of America. It will be a time of intrigue. It will be a time of criticism. It will be a time of change.
But maybe not as much that has some running toward the Canadian border.
The Constitution still exists. It establishes a system of checks and balances. One man holds not all the power of the most powerful nation. He - or she - must report to the House, to the Senate, to the American people.
It is in that last point that the true America exists. America is not a president. It is not a party. It is not a race. It is not a culture. It is the people.
A people fed up with tyranny who founded this nation on unsettled ground. A people who built a nation through trial and tribulation. A nation who fought itself to preserve the principles upon which she stood. A people who soared to prominence and dominance in the world, wielding its power conservatively, preaching aid, not attack.
But through all her history, it's America's people who have had the last say. And that is what makes our nation what we are. It is what makes our nation the envy and model of the world.
I urge all Americans - young and old - to remember such ideas in the coming years. If you agree with the future policy, work proactively to see ideas become realities. If you disagree with what you see coming down the road, challenge the system. Remember our founding patriots - the Sam Adams, the Patrick Henrys, the Thomas Paines - and channel their energy and passion for freedom and liberty. No matter what you think of our newest leader, fear not in the foundations of America. Her basic structure is still strong, still undying. America is still the land of the free and home of the brave.
And she will be for years to come, well beyond the next four.
So I leave you - whether you believe in Barack or not, believe in America.
So, what does this mean? What is the outlook for our nation? These questions are not easily answered. And at this time, no one has those answers. Only the next four years hold insight into them.
But we as Americans still speculate, as is our nature. Some see immense changes. Some see it for good. Some see it for bad. For me, I see what lies ahead as a new endeavor through our American history. While many have emphatic feelings, beliefs and fears for our future, I try to hold a clear and objective view of what lies ahead.
I believe in America.
From the birth of this nation, we have struggled, we have fought and we stood been divided. But through it all, we have overcome. We have persevered through animosity and war, through turmoil and depression, through fear and segregation.
In the end, America has always overcome, and it will do so today and beyond.
From the reaction of many McCain supporters, the outlook for our nation appears dark and dismal. No hope exists, and we will soon see our eventual demise. I see such mindsets as narrow and blind. In our history, there has been many a contested election. From Lincoln v. McClellan, Kennedy v. Nixon, America has seen her share of high stakes elections, and through it all, she has persevered.
Today, America will be no different.
For those afraid of the socialist, terror-ridden world we are entering, my first suggestion - breathe. Take a deep breath, and while doing so, remember America's history. She has seen the likes of Johnson, Grant, Coolidge and Hoover. She has persevered. America moves in broad strokes. She swings from one party to another, in dramatic fashion. She prefers change. She frowns upon monotony. She thrives in new life.
What we can never forget is the principles upon which our nation was established. Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. Government of the people, by the people, for the people.
Such statements are not mere words. They are the lifeblood which flow through our towns and tributaries, our rivers and roads, our fields and freedoms.
An Obama presidency will not be the end of America. It will be a time of intrigue. It will be a time of criticism. It will be a time of change.
But maybe not as much that has some running toward the Canadian border.
The Constitution still exists. It establishes a system of checks and balances. One man holds not all the power of the most powerful nation. He - or she - must report to the House, to the Senate, to the American people.
It is in that last point that the true America exists. America is not a president. It is not a party. It is not a race. It is not a culture. It is the people.
A people fed up with tyranny who founded this nation on unsettled ground. A people who built a nation through trial and tribulation. A nation who fought itself to preserve the principles upon which she stood. A people who soared to prominence and dominance in the world, wielding its power conservatively, preaching aid, not attack.
But through all her history, it's America's people who have had the last say. And that is what makes our nation what we are. It is what makes our nation the envy and model of the world.
I urge all Americans - young and old - to remember such ideas in the coming years. If you agree with the future policy, work proactively to see ideas become realities. If you disagree with what you see coming down the road, challenge the system. Remember our founding patriots - the Sam Adams, the Patrick Henrys, the Thomas Paines - and channel their energy and passion for freedom and liberty. No matter what you think of our newest leader, fear not in the foundations of America. Her basic structure is still strong, still undying. America is still the land of the free and home of the brave.
And she will be for years to come, well beyond the next four.
So I leave you - whether you believe in Barack or not, believe in America.
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