Monday, August 16, 2010

What Went Wrong?

Whether you are a Republican, Independent or a Democrat, please read this post to the end and play the video.

I have been called a lot of things in my life.  Cynic, fanatic, asshole, idiot, they've all been used to describe me.  And those are tame compared to the things my wife says about me. But what I've never been called is an idealist.  I'm too pragmatic for that, too Machiavellian.  But I truly believe that the fatal bullet fired by Sirhan Sirhan at Robert Kennedy changed the direction of our country. 

It is almost enough to think that a conspiracy has been under foot for decades.  Like all men, John F. Kennedy was flawed.  But he was a man who inspired, a man whose vision of America was uplifting and infectious, he was a man who thought we all had something to contribute.  He asked us to ask of ourselves to "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

His brother Robert was the logical extension of that thought.  Yes, according to JFK, we had an obligation to our country.  But Robert told us how to recognize the difference between wealth and achievement, the difference between economic growth and true prosperity, the difference between the false idol of the rags to riches ideal and the true American promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  In other words, he pointed out why those who would  tell us that the single-minded pursuit of profit translates into personal prosperity for you and me are fundamentally wrong.

Please, I ask you, don't let the dream of a better tomorrow die in the hands of those whose cynical pursuit of personal wealth fails to recognize the greater good, the better life, the true promise of America. Listen to the words of Robert Kennedy and ask yourself, what would be a better measure of success, the currect Gross Domestic Product and Dow Jones Indusrial Average, or the things that Robert Kennedy suggests are truly important?



Text of the good part...

3 comments:

Jane said...

Great post! I agree!

Anonymous said...

Great Post. I think the country has forgotten the spirit that lived in everyone from the Jack and Bobby days. Our kids don't know what it is like to truly respect a president, or have those types of ideals. Many people do not think they can make a difference, or care to anymore.
and in some cases, they've been beaten down so much, it's just not worth it. -kitten

EXSENO said...

T-Dude,
It really is a great post. But it's sad to see Bobby Kennedy. The Kennedys could have done so much for this country.

And to this day I still think that Johnson had something to do with the killing of John Kennedy.