A letter from a friend.
November 3, 2004
Dear World,
As an American I would like to express my deepest apology and profound sorrow for the actions of my fellow countrymen in this election. It will be some time before we as a nation understand the harm that this administration has already caused, and it will be much longer before we understand the international implications of our actions. Though I do not wish to excuse my country, I hope that I can provide some insight into why I believe we have done what we have. Because we are such an enormous country, it is difficult for us to understand the concept of ³world community². And because an American can travel 3000 miles and arrive in a place that feels just like home - with the same customs and language and even accent - we truly do not realize that our ways of doing things are just that: our ways. The idea that there are a thousand different ways to live freely and fairly is alien to us, and we are unable to see how our desire to ³spread freedom² threatens the autonomy of the rest of the world. Please understand that this is not because we are just crazy, but rather, because the history and geographical nature of our country has kept us naïve at best, arrogant at worst. I believe our actions are human nature. It is particularly important to remember that American is essentially a religious country.
This is even news to many Americans. People like me, who grew up in predominantly urban and Democratic areas, have taken our cherished Constitution and its guarantees of equality, freedom of speech, religion and due process, for granted, assuming that we all roughly agreed on its meaning and supremacy. The political rise of fundamentalist Christianity during the last ten to twenty years has taken us all by surprise, and it brought home the fact that we have not changed much from our Puritan ancestors. Even those of us who do not consider ourselves fundamentalists or even Christians grew up steeped in a religious version of morality. However, because of our great size and separation from the rest of the world, few of us understand how distinctly dogmatic our view of right and wrong or good and evil is compared to other countries, and how much it pervades our national culture.
The Republicans have tapped this seam of our national identity to rise to power. They have learned that there is no better way to return a sense of direction and assurance to Americans than by appealing to our old need for moral certainty. It is now clearer than ever that this is the one and only thing that Americans hold higher than our Constitution. Right now, that desire for moral certainty is being hijacked with tactics of fear and untruths. As an American, my own morality has been profoundly offended by the current state of affairs, and I cannot let that stand.
If anything good has come out of this election, it is a new and tremendous groundswell amongst Americans like me who are determined to bring our moral compass back around. We are committed bringing the values of humility, kindness, peace and community to our leadership. As arrogant and blind as we are right now, we have equal potential to be compassionate and generous. Please do not give up hope in my country, for millions of us are now stirred to fight for our great potential.
Sincerely, Abby Dees
