By Maren Semler,
Oxnard
I remember the day JFK was killed. It was my senior year in high school and my graduating class canceled the senior prom and all other senior activities. A profound shift in consciousness was occurring.
Then along came the long task of trying to end the war. The war was Vietnam. The flower power generation put flowers in the gun barrels of the police, imploring our government "to make love not war." It was a revolution that was occurring, a time of change; for war, civil rights, women's rights, for worker's rights.
My generation grew up, went to work, created families, and became complacent with their prosperity. We were witness to the demise of the middle class, decline in education and the value of being educated, loss of health care, a crumbling infrastructure, and the desecration of the Bill of Rights, the looting of our economy, unjust wars and unnecessary death.
I have long wondered what happened to my generation. Where were all those voices that once had yelled and marched for justice and change? And then in 2004 I turned on my television to watch the Democratic National Convention. There was an incredibly articulate young man that gave a speech that gave me pause. I found myself asking "who is that speaking?" It was Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois. I read his book, "The Audacity of Hope," and it gave me chills and I knew that some day he would be president.
George W. Bush's reign has been long and dark. No one could ever have imagined the depth of destruction his administration would cause. I remember thinking "we need a revolution." But how and who would lead it? And then Barack Obama declared his candidacy and put in motion a revolution of the people, by the people, for the people. He empowered us, one by one and by the millions, to work for change. He provided a beacon for hope. We walked and talked and worked for hope and change.
On November 4, 2008 I sat with hundreds of people that had gathered to watch the results of the election. When the pundits declared that Barak Obama had actually won, there was a moment of shared surreal silence. All of the voices in that room joined in concert with all of the voices in Chicago's Grant Park and yelled together "Yes We Can." Yes we did, we did it!
We heralded in the chance to turn the page on history, to restore our shared humanity with all of our hopes and dreams and pride. Oprah put it best: "Hope won!" And now the hard work begins.
Democracy Watch is a blog devoted to debunking extreme right wing Republican rhetoric, media, printed material, blogs, videos and all campaign TV ads that are untrue.
I was in Marine boot camp the day JFK died. Whomever Maren Semler may be, I have lived longer and do not recognize the world he/she references at any time since within the continental US. What Obama has to do with a return to "flower power" is a laugh - he is a full-blown Marxist - the most intellectually-challenged 52% of the American public who voted for him, when asked, cannot provide a clue as to what the term "change" implies as applied to this Great Imposter. Please, Ms. Conly, Ms. Semler and erstwhile fellow travelers on this " Democracy Watch" blog, give us some facts.
Has the term "democracy watch" now become synonymous with "conservative bashing" ? The writing on this blog seems to depart quite regularly from its stated purpose: "... respectful factual discussion...".
It will be very interesting to see what Mr. Obama brings to the table now that he is in a position to actually do something, at long last. I think he will find it a tad bit more challenging than making inspirational speeches and bowing to stadiums filled with adoring fans.
I see that he is already trying to assert his power and influence by discussing possible invoking executive orders to close Guantanamo Bay, reverse the Bush Administration's policies on stem cell research and domestic oil drilling.
Questions: Where does he propose to put the terrorists and Al Quaeda prisoners currently locked up in Guantanamo? Probably wants to cut them loose.
What are his proposals to reduce our dependence on foreign oil in the near-term? Don't think I've heard those yet in any of his soaring, faint-inducing speeches yet.
Helen, did you chase away Stephen Frank's blog? According to a poster on his other blog (that nobody reads), this paper was getting a lot of complaints on him. I'm not surprised he is gone. Good riddance to rubbish. That is why I never posted. I don't agree with everything on your blog but at least I know you aren't outright lying like he did.
Here's the blog post I was talking about. He's had two negative threads on the Ventura County Star in two days.
Ventura County Star: Biased News "R" Us
11 November 2008 00:20
Steve is so MAD that his right wing blog was REMOVED from the Star because of NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS.
Katie, I think Steve voluntarily withdrew his blog. I believe he said it was taking too much of his time, which I can understand.
I actually appreciated his blog. It offered a different perspective, albeit a more conservative one, for Ventura County bloggers and those interesed in local politics to read and dialogue on. Nothing wrong with different viewpoints, I always say.
As far as readership, I think his blog certainly outperformed this one. This one is like a ghost town most of the time.
In the famous words of The Sundance Kid - "You keep thinking, that's what you are good at...."
In this case, I'll bet on the Bolvian Army.
Anyway, before Katie sidetracked us to talk about her disdain for Steve Frank, the actual topic was supposed to be Barack Obama, wasn't it?
So, here's a question for the Obama transition team. Why do they keep going to the well for these old, washed-up Clinton administration folks (Rahm Emanuel, John Podesta, Robert Reich, Warren Christopher, et al)? The latest talk has him seriously considering Hillary for Secretary of State. Is this really the "change we need?"