“Our cause is just, our union is perfect.”
Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 02:43AM | Post a Comment Of all the figures that intrigue me in American history, John Dickinson has always fascinated me the most. Widely known for his Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, Dickinson helped to raise awareness and colonial sentiment against unfair taxation practices by the British. Dickinson would go on to be a signer of the Constitution, and serve as the President of both Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Dickinson’s greatest accomplishment was not leading Delaware and Pennsylvania, nor was it his donation of land for the creation of Dickinson College. Dickinson’s Letters were crucial in shaping the fight for fair and just taxation, but they were not his greatest gift to society either; Dickinson’s greatest contribution to our republic came during the summer of 1776, when the Pennsylvanian delegate to the Second Continental Congress refused to to sign the newly approved Declaration of Independence, in favor of a reconciliation with Britain.
Yet Dickinson, who believed that extending the hand to King George and his empire was the best solution for prosperity, left the congress and joined the Continental Army to fight under General Washington’s command against the mother country he held so near and dear to his heart.
In fighting for his new country, John Dickinson set the standard for all: he disagreed with the method or specific battle that his fellow citizens were fighting, but loved America as much as the fifty six other signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Dickinson understood that the members of the newly united thirteen colonies were all in the same crusade for the same principles: economic justice, fair representation, and security. He put his reservations on hold to stand with his country, and more importantly, his American brethren to fight for the same ideals.
I do not mean to suggest that dissent should be put on hold for love of country–I mean to suggest quite the opposite. John Dickinson made his disagreement known in the most public of ways, that history may never forgive him for. Yet the Farmer from Pennsylvania knew that the ideals his country was founded on, for which so many of our founding fathers lost their lives, were always worth fighting for.
I am often troubled by so many, particularly of my generation, who are conflicted on how they feel about America. They hold in high regard its Constitution, and the ideals on which it was founded–but have a trouble believing in the notion of American exceptionalism, when so many across our country suffer day in an day out. They have a hard time believing that we stand above the rest of the world when 47 million Americans live without health insurance. They can’t fathom a world where veterans return from war to live on the streets. They can’t understand the idea of a country whose most recent leadership was morally bankrupt–embarrassing us abroad and bringing our view in the world’s eyes to an all time low.
On the campaign trail, President Obama frequently quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous statement, “The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
America has always moved towards equality and the right place to be; it’s part of our identity. Almost every struggle in our nation’s history, be it civil rights, gender equality, you name it–it cost us years and lives to reach equality, and in almost every case, we are still working to perfect the situation.
To be discouraged is understandable, but our country has always moved to a standard of justice and equality.
The genius of the framers was to institute a system of majority rule government with protections for the minority. In providing for competing interests, no sole group can take control, and interests must always work for a compromise. In the health care debate, neither Insurance Companies nor Labor Unions must dominate or can dominate the policy debate; our system provides for competition, always protecting the interests of every American, whether wealthy or destitute.
I believe that there is something fundamentally special about our county–perhaps something divine, our underdog battle for independence serving as a prime example. When it seems as if America’s flaws outweigh her ideals, we must look to John Dickinson who understood his new nation’s ideals, and fought for America in his own way.
America is not without its faults; but its fundamental ideals shall always stand above its errors. In each unjust situation, our country’s core principals have always brought us to an eventual reconciliation. It may take time, tears, sweat, and blood, but in every situation, America will remedy an unjustifiable situation.
Thomas Jefferson is given credit for the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms. But as Dickinson wrote, in a quote attributed to Jefferson, “Our cause is just, our union is perfect.”
Give Letterman a Break
Friday, June 12, 2009 at 01:18AM | Post a Comment
Right wing opportunists have been going crazy this week over a few jokes by the newly re-crowned king of late night, David Letterman. For his nightly "Top Ten list" on Tuesday, Letterman focused on the Alaska Governor's recent trip to New York City. Letterman controversially joked that Palin went to Bloomingdales to perfect her "slutty pilot look," and joked that “one awkward moment [came] for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game, during the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by [New York Yankees adulterer] Alex Rodriguez.” Governor Palin and her husband Todd attacked Letterman, accusing him of making "perverted jokes" about their 14-year-old daughter Willow, who was traveling with Alaska's first couple during their time in the Empire City. Give me a break. Were Letterman's in poor taste? Yes. Let's be clear–anyone with a brain knows that Letterman wasn't joking about Palin's teenage daughter, Willow. Letterman was very clearly joking about A-Rod knocking up Palin's eighteen-year-old daughter, Bristol–the one that actually got knocked up. As for Letterman's suggestion that Palin looked to improve her "slutty pilot look," probably a poor choice of words. As Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele suggests a boycott of The Late Show, let's look at the big picture here–if Rush Limbaugh can get away with away with calling a Parkinsons' sufferer an "actor," we can let a poor slew of words slide from Mr. Letterman. It's hard to defend Letterman's use of (a variation of ) the word "slut," no doubt a sign of societal stereotypes that help support that proverbial glass ceiling, but, it's so blatantly obvious to see through the spin of the "knocked up" joke. The spin is a clear effort by Palin's camp to spin her as a "victim" once again–when your bad ideas can't get press, you need all the press you can get. Sarah Palin is no "slut"–no matter what your politics, she's still an elected official, a somewhat accomplished Governor, and a pretty big crack in that infamous glass ceiling. But the right-wing sure has become a media hustler ("aggressively enterprising"). The party of Dick Cheney, Richard Nixon, and Karl Rove will do anything for a headline.
Was Letterman making off-color jokes about a minor? No.
Let's face it–no one can make the case that Bristol is exactly "hands-off" when it comes to the media. Like it or not, Bristol, is a public figure, by her own doing. Not because Bristol showed the failure and ineffectiveness of the "abstinence-only" sexual education policies supported by her own mother, but because the Palin family allowed (perhaps provoked?) Bristol to embrace the media coverage–primely, gracing the cover of People magazine with baby Tripp less than a month ago.
Originally Posted at WeeklyFilibuster.com
The Weekly Filibuster
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 01:25AM | Post a Comment 
As many of you know, in January 2008, I launched The Weekly Filibuster, a weekly online radio program, featuring a panel of student politicos from left and right. As we near our 100th broadcast, the "fastest hour in political talk" is as strong as ever–and summer time means some big guests:
On June 7, we spoke with The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza, author of The Fix, about the June 9 Virginia Democratic Gubernatorial Primary. You can listen to the broadcast on demand here.
On June 14, we'll talk with Former United States Senator (1969-1981) and Presidential Candidate (2008) Mike Gravel about his recent trip to South Korea to promote his national initiative direct democracy. The Senator will take your calls at (347) 205-9993.
On June 21, we'll talk with 99-year-old political activist Doris "Granny D" Haddock, the 2004 Democratic Nominee for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire who gained the respect of the nation when she walked across the country ten years ago in support of campaign finance reform. You won't want to miss this conversation.
The Weekly Filibuster is broadcast live each Sunday at 10PM ET at WeeklyFilibuster.com. Episodes are available after on demand, and as a podcast via iTunes. Recent guests have included The Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel, McCain-Palin campaign manager Rick Davis, former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift, Ambassador Alan Keyes, MSNBC's David Shuster, and infomercial king Matthew Lesko.