Obama, Will You Read Us "Green Eggs And Ham"?

The United States is the greatest nation on God's green Earth. Humans are the most loving beings on the planet. We regard every human life as sacred. The way we care for one another is astounding. We give until we have nothing left. When tragedy strikes others, we are right there to pick up the pieces and help others rebuild. When a life hangs in the balance, we run to catch their fall. When freedom is threatened, or faced with terror and tyranny, we are there with our flag in hand to restore peace and democracy. We give everything to save each other, to save our planet, to save the honeybees, to save animals from extinction, to save ourselves from diseases that kill us, to save our children, to save our future, to save all that is good and to rid all that is bad in this world.

So how is it that a nation that is so prone to good, so giving and able to help one another in times of hardship and struggle has suddenly become a nation that seems so divisive and polarized? How is it we are unable to come together in the political arena and string together a sentence without conflicts and impasses arising that are impossible to overcome? Are we really so shattered that we have lost our ability to solve our own problems, and in a way that is done in unity so as to work in harmony with each one another? The answer is yes...and no.

No, because we do have the ability, but yes because we have not put this ability to full use for a long time. In our own lives and communities, we are all doing our own things which support worthy causes and people. These are all wonderful efforts going on across the country, in big ways and in small, from one home to another, all of us doing what we can to be a part of some solution, any solution. If we use the analogy of a blanket, all these efforts are like little knitted circles of thread, independently created to be a part of one, massive blanket. Each unique circle will become its small, but critical contribution to something larger than itself. However, without the "glue" in between these individual circles, there can be no blanket. No connection between all these beautiful efforts means only millions of small pretty doilies that sit independently next to each other, but don't have that all-important thread binding them all together so the blanket can be held up for others to see in all its magnificent splendor and glory.

The blanket's glue must be a singular thread that begins at one point of the blanket, and ends at that very same point, so the thread has no breaks or weaknesses anywhere within or around it. The blanket of individual circles is only as strong as its connecting thread, for if there is even a small break in the blanket, the whole blanket could become easily unraveled. So who weaves this all-important thread? We do. We, along with the leader of our great nation, weave this thread together. In word and deed, we weave the thread, fix the thread, or unravel it. We ARE the blanket of America, beautiful in every way, not in our perfections, but in our extraordinary drive and determination to keep the sum of all our parts together. We demonstrate our fortitude and conviction for our own by being fearless leaders, courageous fighters, and beautiful human beings towards each other. When seen intact, the blanket of America is the most beautiful sight in the world. But seen with rips and tears in it, it's a sight of horror to us all. However, for some monstrous people in the world, this is a vision they hope and pray to see more of every day.

A good friend told me recently that he loved and respected my writing, but didn't feel it belonged in the world of politics. Instead, he thought I should be writing for children, whose worlds were still pure and where fairy tales and happy endings still existed. He said my writing reflected my own hopes and dreams for the future and about people, which he said were too idealistic for the cruel and cut-throat world of politics. Maybe he is right. Then again, maybe he is wrong, and perhaps politics has become a dark and bleak world that desperately needs more writers like me to come into it. Perhaps more politicians like Barack Obama who talk about "hope" and "change" and "a brighter future", terms he is mercilessly criticized for as being too idealistic, need to take the risk and jump into the political ring.

Should we as a nation, in the year 2008, still be feuding over race, gender, religious preference or sexual orientation? After all our wars fought, and throughout all these decades...centuries...are we really still stuck on these matters? Have we not made enough progress that we cannot move onto the bigger things facing us, like terrorism, the freedom of our allies, nuclear war, the health of our planet, and the outlook for the future? Perhaps the cold, hard truth staring us in the face is that we have not fully dealt with these old issues and that until we do, they will rear their ugly head every time we face an issue that requires we come together and work as a nation.

American's don't give up easily. We are fierce in our commitments to ourselves, to each other, and to those in the world who need us. But as we do this, we need great leaders to help us, guide us, and inspire us along the way. Everyone wants and hopes for a good leader...not just kids. Like an orchestra's conductor, America wants that person we can look up to and trust to coordinate all the different parts of our country so that when we all come together the world hears nothing but our very best song. We are givers, nurturers, care-givers, and life supporters. We are real people with real lives who have real problems and worries. We truly believe that we can solve our problems, but without a positive, strong, visionary leader guiding us from Washington D.C., we are becoming tired and morale is getting low.

Barack Obama is giving people everywhere that single bit of light, that single act of trust in us, that single gesture of encouragement, that single reminder of hope that we can work and solve together. Barack Obama is also reminding this nation and the world that when America comes together, there is nothing we can't solve, no obstacle too high for us, and no bridge we can't cross to come together. He is reminding us and the world that when America decides it's time to pull together, we are the mightiest and strongest body of people on the planet.

If supporting Barack Obama and his vision for America and our future is akin to a child who wants to hear her favorite book read to her, then I suppose I am guilty of being an 8-year-old girl looking for that moment in her life when all was peaceful and happy, and the future was nothing but an open and beautiful horizon of opportunity and adventure.

The worst thing in the world is to watch a child's wonder and amazement in the impossible being possible fade away. My 10-year-old still believes in the tooth fairy because she wants it to be so, therefore she exists. I pray every day that she and the tooth fairy are always together, for this is the magic of the human spirit that turns any potential into reality, and uncovers the unseen joy this world can give us if we truly want it. I cultivate these qualities in my children, for I know they are the teachers of the future, the caretakers of my generation and the ones who will carry us into new realms of understanding and where endless possibilities do exist.

So, as I march forward, supporting whom I hope to be our next President, I'll be here in "fairy tale land", with my Barack Obama lapel pin on, hoping for change and a better and brighter tomorrow.

Dianne Perea