Moving forward.
I just read the front page article on Salon, which is an incredibly clear and well written polemic on how this Bush administration has hurt America. It was very enlightening to see a lot of the feelings I've had since September 12, 2001 described so lucidly. Now that the eve of the election is upon us, with a Kerry victory seeming all but certain, I think it's important to identify recently exposed cracks in our great nation in the hopes that they can be mended.
Here are a few that come to mind.
1. We must not abandon the Geneva Conventions when fighting the war on terror.
2. We must have open political discourse. It must be understood that dissention is not only patriotic, but necessary for informed descision making.
3. We must enforce a distinction in the media between journalism and entertainment. Speculating about the effects that Kerry's reference to Mary Cheney will have on the campaign is not journalism. In the same way that South Park has a disclaimer at the beginning of the show, so too should Crossfire.
4. We must not turn a blind eye to the favor (or lack thereof) shown to us by the rest of the world. Every worldly American knows that a certain amount of arrogance and superiority is built into our national consciousness. We must not allow this to guide our judgement.
These should not be partisan issues. They lie at the foundation of Democracy. Do you have suggestions for how we can fix this great country?