When I open my passport, the words "United States of America" greet my eyes. When I flip through its pages, an assortment of state seals guide me through our great nation. I see the words "US Passport Agency" and other such harmless and generic terms. What I don't see are republicans and Democrats. Not present are the hysterical tea-parties, neo-fascist anti-health-care protests and other partisan aspects of our, once again, great nation.
An Award to Be Proud of...you'd think
And yet, a little less than a year after we, the America people, demonstrated to the world that two of our greatests assets as a nation still exist, the ability to peacefully elect a president and our system of balances, that mass of hysterical and anti-America idiots scoof and snort and mock when our president receives one of the most prestigious awards that exist. The conservatives, again, demonstrate their true hatred for our great nation.
I must comment on our system of balances. Peacefully electing a president is being done by more and more nations each year: great but less unique than it used to be. The world has learned from us well. What still seperates us, however, from so many is our amazing system of three branches of government: the Legislature, the Judical Branch and the Executive one. Under W and Mr. Potter, the Executive Branch gained inordinate amounts of power at the expense of the other two--many will say (including me) that an abuse of the Judicial Branch is what gave us W in the first place.
After 8 years of no leadership, corruption the likes only seen before under Reagan and Nixon, and sheer and complete incompetence--even, an obvious reluctance to govern by W (he was sitting in front of the Ranger games by 6 PM each evening and clearing brush by the months each summer at his ranch), Americans and even many of the most reactionary and the loudest in the current "I hate America" GOPCON Party were ready and willing to see W head off into that January sky on Marine Two. A sigh of relief was heard for many even feared that Mr. Potter might try to pull a military coup that January day not too long ago, such were the abuses of power by W and his coterie of flying monkeys.
Shocked and dismayed at our own seeming hatred for the values that made our nation one of the greatest in world history, foreign governments waited and hoped that our system of balances would once again prove effective. And, it did.
Since that day that Obama assumed the presidency, beyond all that he has done on a 24/7 time-clock to help our nation survive the irresponsible policies of 30 years of republican incompetence--"no government, no regulation, power to the states (sounding very similar to "power to the soviets")--President Obama has made it one of his top priorities to reinvigorate "brand America." And we, as a declining world power whose greatest weapon always was the strength of our soft culture and the lure of an America with streets paved in gold, cannot, should not underestimate the resource that "brand America" is for us.
It Earns us money and it saves lives
Everytime one of these psuedo-wealthy big-mouthes open their traps and criticize Obama, my skins crawls. If they were citing facts and real figures, it would be one thing. However, arguments like 1) he was not born in America; 2) he is a Muslim terrorist; 3) he is a communist/socialist; 4) he is expanding goverment so as take over our lives are simply ridiculus claims fed by the idiocy of Fox-TV and drug-addicts like Rush Limbaugh. Sadly, many in America get their political opinions from these entertainment outlets and confuse it for truth.
Yet, if we were to set aside the issues that divide us and look at the one thing we should all want and hope for, a strong and stable America, then the receipt of the Nobel Price for Peace by President Obama, our president, should be something to make us not just proud but safer and happier.
President Obama has not done one act which you could put your finger on and say, "ah, this is why he got it." No, but he has changed the mood in the world. If W's policies had permitted the patients (Russia's abuse of their gas diplomacy, North Korea's and Iran's nuke programs, a melting Pakistan, etc.) to take over the mental hospital--Obama's reaching out to the world has made diplomacy once again a valid tool and served as sedative to the nuts in the world.
And, if we can spare the lives of over 4000 young men and women serving in our armed forces (and tens of thousands of innocent civilians) from making the ultimate sacrifice caused by to hubris and greed of the neo-con right as they were led by W and others, then I say, President Obama: GREAT JOB! He deserves any award he can get for the sake of us and a better world.
President Obama has changed the mood in the world and being an American who lives in the "world" and has traveled to 12 nations just in the past 8 months, I can tell you this: people are thrilled by this man and the mood is one of change, of hope, of possibilities.
As a result of this feeling in the world, America's stock is going up. Despite our ailing economy, not caused by Obama, the world likes having a sane and rational America once again at the helm. Yes, the world also feels burned and slightly embarassed because of their attempts to deal with W and Mr. Potter as adults only to be spurned and even mocked by those two. President Obama must demonstrate that he can rule regardless of the destructive and obstructionist right. The world waits and it has hope, though. Hope was something they did not have under W.
Congratulations America
Our national brand equity is increasing in value thanks to President Obama and his policies, his beliefs. The Nobel Peace Prize further increases brand America's value. This is something we should not pooh-pooh, this is something we should not doubt, this is something we should not hestitate to take silent pride in.
There used to be a saying in America, before the right became so openly hostile to our nation's future, domestically it is acceptable to disagree and argue with the President; but, internationally, he is the man and we should at least respect him and hope he does well internationally for our own good.
President Obama's award is our award and the world is better for it but sadly, not even that fact is enough to snap those anti-America conservatives out their hateful, obstructionist stupor.
Shame on them all.
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