Do you remember how you felt on the morning of September 11, 2001? Do you remember the thoughts that you had as you watched our Twin Towers crumble to the ground? As the Pentagon was burning? As you looked at the gaping hole in the earth in Pennsylvania?
Did you ever stop to wonder if the firefighters that ran into the towers just before they fell happened to be Democrat or Republican? Do you think anyone cared whether the firefighter or other Good Samaritan who helped them out of the WTC was white or black, Christian, Jew, Muslim or Atheist? Would YOU have cared? On that day and the few weeks after, we were all Americans. Just simply and beautifully, Americans.
On November 4th, you have the opportunity to be - just simply and beautifully, an American. After 8 years, our country is in dire straits. Don’t vote race, don’t vote smears, and don’t vote lies. This Iraq war was a lie, WMD was a lie, 4100 troops died for a lie. These lies have continued on and on for 8 years in part due to distractions. Some have counted on distractions, not truth to further their cause and they continue to do so. Stop. Listen. Learn. We have a candidate who wants to fight and win the RIGHT war and avenge the deaths of 3,000 Americans and bring Bin Laden to justice. One who was for the right war, and against the wrong one from the beginning. One who has people around the world waving American flags again instead of burning them. If you have been honest with yourself, and you discover after much soul-searching that this decision will come down to race for you, I ask you this: Imagine that you are stuck on the 65th floor of the WTC on the morning of 9/11 and someone is there just on the other side of the door ready to help you and bring you to safety. They are kicking at the wall and you hear their voice getting closer and closer. All the sudden, the person breaks through and reaches through ready to pull you to safety. They say, “Grab my hand!” You look, and the outstretched hand is brown. You hear glass shattering around you, the heat of the fire suffocates you, the screams of people dying rings in your ears. You look down at your own hand, close your eyes, and then…..well, the choice is yours.
This November 4th, I hope that you will vote the issues. I hope that you will reject the politics of fear, lies and distractions. I will cast my vote for Barack Obama, and I am stretching out my hand, grasping for yours, asking that you do the same. This November 4th, I will vote American.
