The Moral Maze, Redux

I've received several replies to this post (via email and my blog site) and what they say is right, because they all seemed to have missed the point. So, here's the point.

You're right to fear that things will not change for the better or that they may become even worse. Because we still haven't learned the lesson of Democracy! WE are responsible for what has happened and what WILL happen. That means getting more involved in the political process. It means writing to the White House, phoning your Senators and your Congressional Representatives, looking for political action groups who support your causes and joining them.

If say, your major concern is National Health Care, then start phoning or writing or blogging about it! Get involved! It's your right and it's your duty!

(The following is the original post. If you've already seen it you can stop reading. There's nothing new there.)

This isn't the happy ending to a fairy tale but rather the beginning of a long, hard slog out of the moral maze that we have allowed ourselves to wander in for the last (not quite) eight years. As penance (a relic of my Catholic childhood), I watched the election returns on Fox News! (I watched more Fox news in this one night than all the other times combined, turning it off only when they produced the despicable Tom Delay to leer at the camera.) And I admit to a quiet, peaceful joy when the Electoral votes showed us that Barack Obama was to be our next President and that we only have 76 days left to endure the abominable Bush. (By the way, he can do a lot more damage in 76 days, so keep your eyes open.) But Barack Obama, even if he is every bit the honorable man I hope him to be, is not in this alone. It would be selfish, childish, and unrealistic to rely on one man to right the wrongs that have turned us into the world's biggest bully over the last two terms of office. It is long past time for us to assume personal responsibility for the actions of our government. This is not North Korea, this is a democracy, and WE decide which course the country takes. I know plenty of Democrats who voted to re-elect George Bush in 2004. I couldn't believe it! The rest of the world couldn't believe it, but we did it! Shame on us. So, if you're not prepared to hunker down and make do with less, to keep yourself well-informed regarding international developments, to speak up when you see injustice, to defy terror with courage, then don't be surprised if we never escape the maze. It's time to get to work. Let's DO it!

- Maggie