9/11 Misused

I am a New Yorker, and an American. I care about 9/11. I was on the first plane out of Amsterdam to New York, six days after the attack. I had to be with the people I care about during that horrible moment.

I understand the pain and suffering the attack caused. I share the horror of witnessing thousands of innocent people die brutally and for no reason, leaving struggling families behind. I honor the brave firemen and police who struggled to rescue as many people as possible. I feel the shock of my country who, until 9/11, viewed its borders as secure. I have deep respect for those who rebuilt their lives after the attack.

But… we also have to acknowledge just how the Bush administration misused 9/11 for its own ends.
- The “Patriots” Act,
- the lies told to justify the invasion of Iraq,
- the infringements on Americans’ civil liberties,
- the introduction of torture as a legitimate government function,
- the institution of government by fear – codes blue, green and yellow in public places, side-by-side with the exhortation “go on with your lives”.

The forces surrounding the Bush Administration misused the fear following 9/11 to re-order our society, politics and values. Fear and unwarranted trust in the government made people accept things they would never have accepted if they had their wits about them.

9/11 matters profoundly. It matters most in HOW you remember it, and the lessons that we will take from it.

Thus far, it seems we have not done too well.

Bob

Louisiana Levees

Ignore that grin in my photo. It is not intended for these ghastly pictures.

I just think we all need to see what happens when our government doesn't build adequate dikes. In Holland, this is something we know about. The technology is a thousand years old. But our government in America, with definitive proof that a disaster will come, seems unable to protect the population. Now, what is wrong with this picture....

Convention Day 4 – Obama’s Acceptance Speech

I am so proud to be a Democrat.

The open-air event at Invesco Mile High Stadium in Denver was a show of Democratic unity and values.

The best way to understand this is to take the time to watch Obama’s magnificent speech.
I can’t anything to improve on what the man said. Please look at his amazing speech. Do it twice. These are words to remember.

For those of you who want even MORE depth, look at Al Gore’s speech. It rocks!

Remember: The most important thing is to Elect Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress. There is SO much damage from the Bush administration to repair.

Future Blogging

Writing this blog and communicating with the hundreds of you who read it has enhanced my experience of the Convention. I am grateful for the comments I received both directly and posted on the blog. Thanks to you all.

I'm going to stop for a while, but will resume when I return to Holland.

To stay reasonably brief (and to let me get to bed before 4 a.m.!) I omitted a lot of the things that happened.

For example:

At Democrats Abroad breakfasts we were honored to have speeches from two terrific members of Congress: Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Democrat from New York (who happens to represent my home district in Manhattan), who founded the Americans Abroad Caucus in Congress, and Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well a being the ranking member on the Helsinki Commission for security and cooperation with Europe.

Senator Cardin’s best quote: The Bush administration has trampled on our civil rights, and destroyed our fiscal responsibility” We MUST elect Baraka Obama to repair this damage.

At the LGBT Caucus, we were addressed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome, who started doing same-sex marriages in San Francisco in defiance of then state law.

The Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Gov. Howard Dean, also spoke to the LGBT Caucus. He is the best friend we could have. As Governor of Vermont, in 2000 Governor Dean signed the first legislation in the United States permitting same-sex civil registration.

Being a Delegate to a Democratic National Convention was a great experience, which I recommend to anyone.

I realize Obama seeks to be President of the entire country, and not just the Democratic Party. But I regret the Convention’s references to religion, and repeatedly to “America’s Warriors”.

Those are not my values. Religion should be kept out of politics. I yearn for secular, civil government, where no particular religion, or religious belief in general, is held above those who believe differently. And our military might must be used rationally, and only where needed. I admire and support those brave men and women who risk their lives for America. We disrespect them when we use them wrongly.


Where on earth will you vote? See www.votefromabroad.org