Purple State, USA

State of the Union--Who Are These People?

If I may be so bold, let me just start by saying that I am embarrassed.

I tuned in to President Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday night. As usual--as with every president--there were things I agreed with and things I didn't agree with. As a relatively intelligent American citizen, I was able to listen to our President's words and draw my own conclusions, form my own opinions. It's a skill I value and one I believe too few exercise. The things I wasn't aware of (the Supreme Court ruling reference that made Alito forget his role as stoic observer, for instance) I made note of and have made a point to find out more.

As usual, our current President has proven his skills as an orator and I was particularly pleased--all individual issues aside--to see him stress our need to get past political parties and agendas and start working toward solutions for the American people. The line "every day can't be election day" was almost enough for me to give the man a standing ovation from the solitary confinement of my living room. I restrained myself.

I restrained myself because as the cameras panned the members of the legislative branch of this amazing country, the side of me more grounded in reality knew that by Thursday morning few in that room would remember anything more than whatever was most pressing on their political agenda. Instead I was left with one troubling thought, Who are these people?

Who are these rude, incorrigible children we have put in charge of our lives, of the direction of our country? Why is Pelosi fighting tears? Why are the Republicans scowling? What the hell are the Democrats cheering about? How come, watching them interact with each other, I feel like I'm watching a bad high school movie? Why is one senator stopping another from clapping with a solemn shake of her head? For heaven's sake, let the woman clap if she's moved to clap! How come the "average" citizens in the top balcony have more self-restraint and respect that those on the first floor?

Who are these people?

I've got bad news for all of us. These folks are our congressional representatives. Say whatever you want about the man behind the desk in the Oval office--whether its Clinton or Bush or Obama--its these jokers who are ruining our country... Running. I meant "running". Really. 

Perhaps it would serve us well to take a little more time to get to know them better.

Change.

We have a busy and exciting week ahead, as I know many of you do as well. I have lots of things on my mind, but nothing quite ready to publish, so I wanted to simply share a thought related to many of the things we are confronted with in our personal, professional and political lives...

As hard as it is for people to change, it is even harder for us to let them.

How much of what we see repeated day after day--month after month, year after year--is due to a failure of change versus a refusal to see that change? I hope that in those rare moments when the people around me have gone through the difficult work of change that I am not the one making it even more difficult for them by retaining a jaded, cynical inability to recognize their achievement.

Sustainability.

I have been thinking alot about sustainability this week, on a personal level as well as on a national and international level. As individuals and as nations, we often ask extraordinary things of ourselves, we struggle to find the right way, we sometimes stumble, yet we continue to move forward, hoping to get it right in the end... or at least enough that we can ultimately be forgiven any shortcomings we might be guilty of along the way.

I am not surprised by what our country has offered to those suffering so terribly in Haiti. I only hope that in this and in every endeavor we carefully walk the line of remembering that we can't help anyone if we don't first help ourselves. If anything, moments like these should underscore why it is important for the United States to get things right within our own borders, as we can't continue to offer assistance to the world if we fail at home.

The shoulders--as a wise Geometry teacher advised me during my sophomore year of high school--can only be so broad. We have to keep our eyes on the ball regardless of distraction or tragedy. I hope that we can do that. We are no use to the drowning if--exhausted and weak ourselves--we reach out to save them only to let them pull us under.

"You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done." --Ronald Reagan

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." --Ronald Reagan

If you are able and inclined, you can donate $10 to assist the Red Cross with their efforts in Haiti by texting “Haiti” to 90999. If you want more details, go to http://www.redcross.org.

Considering the Cost of the Fight.

I had an, "Oh, shit," moment yesterday that I thought only fair to share with you all. I received a text message from a bright, strong young man that I've known since he was about... man, I guess he would have been about 8-years-old when we met. He's 17 now. The text message said that on Monday he's signing papers to join the Army, as a member of the infantry.

I found myself asking him if he'd thought about the police academy. I could totally see him on some department's SWAT team. He said he'd thought of that just the day before. I suggested he not sign the papers just yet, that he's only a high school junior and that the Army will be there once he's had time to be certain he's adequately explored all the other options he's thinking of.

There were perhaps many valid, legitimate points in my suggestions, but I want to admit and take a hard look at the least noble of my motivations... Fear. Beyond my reasonable, logical suggestions of other career paths, part of me was choking on that ugliest of emotions: fear.

What does that fear mean? Am I hypocrite? Do I only believe in our military when its someone else carrying the burden? Why do I suddenly feel contempt for some recruiter who *might* be telling this boy his only way to a better life is this? Am I lying to you and--worse--myself about what I believe in terms of our country and our military?

My twin brother is in the Air Force. I am over-the-top proud of him. I have known fear related to his profession, but I tell myself he's not on the front-lines. His risks, though very real, are mitigated to a degree.

In this boy's case, though, he's pretty much volunteering for the front-lines in any battle this country might undertake in the coming years. His risks, like many others in that role, are enormous. This soon-to-be man who would be the perfect poster boy for an American soldier... I still see him laughing as a child, spilling hot chocolate on a store window (accidentally), passionately singing "Pour some _stupid_ on me" because he misunderstood some Def Leppard lyrics (LOL), looking around a hotel room in Florida for the toothpaste that somehow fell off his toothbrush during his mad dash to the sink (omg... ROFL... you had to be there...)

I don't have a lot of answers to the questions I am asking myself, but I wanted to share the story. I know that it's important to me to know that this boy truly came to the Army decision for the right reasons. My brother, for instance, went through and graduated college before he signed with the USAF. He was older and I know that he arrived at his decision because he felt it was best for him, not because he felt it was the only option he had.

Perhaps that's part of my trouble--I truly do prefer to think of our Armed Forces as a volunteer force. I guess, selfishly, that makes it slightly easier for me to accept that some of them might not come home. I can tell myself that they made an educated, noble decision for their country... but maybe a lot of them don't and that's harder to swallow.

I can tell you one thing. It makes me want to be damn certain we are careful before committing our troops to anyone elses' battle.

These kids. They are our best, our brightest, our strongest. To risk them... It's a reminder that our cause had better be just. Especially if they are trusting us--more than themselves--with making that assessment.

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