The Thinking Dog Has Questions

             Speaking from the heart, I am quite concerned about the future of our country being offered by Republicans. It looks to me like a great Repression is in the offing. And if the people are scared enough, they’ll buy it. It’s happened before.

            Then should I vote for Obama, on the theory that at least he’s a Democrat? But Obama’s record is repressive as well, except for a few cracks of light in the walls, like crumbs thrown to the dogs, if you’re looking for a world of peace.

            That’s the hang-up. Those looking for a world of peace are a tiny minority. That’s if you can believe what you see on TV. However, I marched with the Occupy Movement in Norfolk one Saturday in the fall and I can tell you they’re a minority here, easily shut down when the police were ready.

           “If enough people stand up....”

            You hear that all the time. A lot of people hope it won’t be necessary in America because we’re a democracy. But what exactly is a democracy? It’s open to a lot of interpretation.

            One-person, one-vote is supposed to be the fundamental principle, but even that is tainted here in what we’re told is the model of democracy to the world. Do we really elect the people who rule us?

            So maybe real democracy hasn’t been defined or invented yet. Maybe this is the moment all modern democrats are waiting for.

            It seems to me most of today’s political rhetoric reveals a struggle between past and future. The Republicans want to get us back to better days, the Democrats are winding down wars and talking more and more about green jobs and environmental protection, all of which are more appealing to me. I haven’t forgotten that 30 years of Republican dominance since Reagan led us into the financial hole we’re in now. Why would anyone bet on them again? They try to blame the mess on Obama because he couldn’t fix it in two years, but at worst he’s only juggled things around. It was Republican policies that ran the whole country into the ground.

            What it comes down to is that a world of peace isn’t on some people’s agendas. The challenge for peace is to make it work for those of us who want it. This is not Republican or Democrat. It’s human being to human being. Peace is the way. But peace must first be discovered. After that, it must be practiced.

            Next question: Can peace be the key to creating a true democracy?