This letter is personal. Shouldn't it be?
It is about my hopes,
my dreams and even my fears. It is about my design,
but I hope it isn't my design alone, for I am but one of many millions
of
Americans who love this country with a passion deeper than we speak out
loud. I hope this is about your design, as well. Your WALK.
I believe this country
is the greatest creation on earth. We were given
a Constitution, written by men who believed with all of their hearts the
country would move away from all that made it great. The spoke of this
clearly and directly. Believing this, they left a guide we could follow;
or return to, as may be required.
History has shown
we have not always lived up to the high expectations
they shared. We sometimes stumbled. Sometimes fell. But, we were always
willing; with the passing of time, willing to acknowledge our errors and
move forward.
In many ways, we
are a worse nation than they imagined. In many ways,
we are a better nation than they left. We have not reached that low bar
of tolerance that Thomas Jefferson hope we could reach, but there are
still many in this land that pray we reach the higher bar of loving one
another before they die. Thus, we struggle onward. Onward and Upward.
Our founders warned
us about a lot of things. Most of them; they told us,
required due dilligence.
They created a Republic, believing democracies to
be little more than mob rule. They created a nation with individual liberties,
cautioning us that the rights of a few should never be out-weigh or be
considered to be more important than the rights of the one. That is the
real test of: Individual Liberty.
They said fear would
be used as a weapon to take away our liberty and
they warned corporations would cost us even more than they could make.
Still, they believed
the American people to be of good hearts. They believed
if each stood firm upon the bedrock of their own principles, neither giving
in to anothers convictions, laws created would be fair and just. That
is
how they arrived at such a short document after such a long period of
time.
But, what a document they wrote!
I hope this path
leads us both back into our history. It is; indeed, a rich
history, filled with the names of thousands that were placed into the
history
books so many years ago, the time and our short memories decided or
neglected to include them in many of today's texts.
I hope this leads
us forward. We have such possibilities! No nation on earth
has the rich resevoir of culteral, national and racial experience. We
can draw
from people who trace their family history back to nations across and
around
the globe. I believe this project can share that with each and every American
Citizen. As Importantly, I believe it can share this true with each and
every
Citizen from those nations around the world that love us, that hate us,
that
believe in us and view of with a touch of skepticism.
We need to trust
the American People with all of the information that can
allow us to make our own policies. We have neglected our responsibilities
for
too long. We were born to the highest office in the land. Citizen. Citizen.
We the People. Powerful words. Every office held by any member of a City
Counsel, a County Commission, a State or National Office rests beneath
that
lofty office: Citizen.
When I catch myself thinking poorly of those who occupy so many of those
offices; many of which, I myself helped them obtain, I must look in the
mirror
and ask how well I am handling the office I hold: Citizen. It is my
responsibility to pay attention to what is happening. My duty to make
sure
this nation is behaving with honor and dignity. I is my duty to secure
our
borders and to make certain I feel safe at home. Any law that is written
that does not protect my rights is a bad law. Civil rights have nothing
to do
with minorities or racism. And any law that is written that doesn't have
the
taste of the Constitution at its core does not reflect who we are -- not
only
who we were -- but who we are.
There are sure to
be elements of this project that will differ from the things
I believe. There are sure to be elements in this project that differ from
the
things that each of us believe. For that, and to insure that, anything
that is
factual, should be allowed.
There is an element,
even a fringe element, for every thing that has happened
during the time the first Europeans and Africans arrived on these shores.
Let them bring forth their ideas and their documentation. If it is true,
let
them create a plaque, construct a monument or sculpture to reflect our
history both directly and honestly. We are a nation of depth and greatness,
standing as ready to learn from our failures just as quickly and as surely
as
our tragic failures.
Bring on the world.
People from around the globe. Bring them on. Invite them
to watch us build. Invite them to participate. Let them show us who they
are
and we will show them who we are! For there is a truth here. We are of
them
and it is from them we arrived to be who we are.
Look into this project
closely. Embrace it as your own. Let the world know
that it is who you are. It is; I assure you, who I am.
As we move forward,
there are many more things I am sure to write. I invite
you to ask me anything. I will post the questions and the answers here
-
as my time permits. It is fair you see my point of view, because it is
not
unfiltered. I see my world as you do, through the prism of my own history.
Together we can compare notes and learn. Perhaps you from me, certainly
me from you. That is what I learned as I crossed the country. The people
of America are not the ones shown to us through the screen of our
television sets. We are still the product of Revolutionaries who hate
communists and facists: who love liberty and face the world with courage
and conviction.
Steven
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