Can we still be inspired to reach for our greatness...?

a few choice paragraphs from a wonderful piece by brent budowsky, writing in consortium news, reminding us of the higher good we all too easily forget in these troubled times...

I've been in this capital city of America for a long time and dealt with giants and midgets of all persuasions and cannot remember any other time, when neither political party dared to offer a grand vision that at least tries to appeal to the souls and spirits of young Israelis, Arabs and Americans.

Can we agree that military policy without diplomacy is a one-way road to failure, that diplomacy without military strength is a one-way road to weakness, and that disastrous military policy with zero diplomacy is a one-way road to hell?

Today there is a war of the worlds, on virtually every field of endeavor, and contrary to the partisans, ideologues and profiteers, I would define it this way: it is a war between the dream builders, the dream crushers, the dream exploiters, and standing on the side, as always, the vanity players who's call to action is "what's in it for me."

[...]

Can we agree on this? Those who have committed crimes of war should be prosecuted and punished under law? Those who have been sent to war without armor and helmets and bandages were called heroes but treated with contempt and neglect by the same people, in both parties, who give magnificent speeches on the Fourth of July, but did nothing for four years to prevent this outrage that persists, too often, today?

Can we agree that the homeless heroes who fought our wars and suffer the hardships today should be treated with the honor and passion of a decent society, not the neglect and harvest of shame from those who let this happen without waging the fight for them that deserves to be waged?

[...]

This is not about Democrat, Republican, Left, Right. Let a thousand flowers bloom, let a hundred million voices sing, and let the battle be waged in the voting booth, on television and radio, on movie screens and Internet screens, with publishing houses and editorial boards and advertising eyeballs.

The common denominator is this: we are people who believe in the building of dreams, as Jefferson built dreams, as Adams built dreams, as these two giants, who stood together in creating our Nation, who stood apart on many of the great issues of their day, who died the same day, on different sides of our continent, whispering their last words about each other. speak to us today.

In these difficult days, no one ever promised it would be easy, but as others have said, the battle continues, the struggle remains, the cause endures, and the dream shall never die.

it's not often i can say that i've been inspired, far too rarely, in fact... but this did it... thanks, brent...

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