I took off my Obama stickers yesterday

[Savannahmann]

77. I've read the replies.

All of those who say we should not lose faith. To some extent, I agree with them, but not with what they say we should have faith in. I long ago began to put limited faith in to men or women in politics. I redoubled my faith in the principles, the good, wise principles that our nation, our party was founded upon. That is why I come out so strongly in favor of those principles. Because without them, we are a boat on a storm tossed sea. Lurching this way, and that. Searching for a safe harbor, and not caring what or where that harbor is. We run from fear to unease and we congratulate ourselves for leaving fear behind. That we are only marginally safer in the harbor is not lost on us, but it is a margin we celebrate.

We must return to our roots. Those principles that made the Democratic Party great. Those principles that helped us fight against Reagan, Nixon, and LBJ and his lies to get us into Viet-Nam. We must fight against the easy profit over the rights of the citizenry. What would those who emptied their pockets before marching into violent authorities think of us now? They dropped everything out of their pockets before marching to demand the right to vote equally with other men and women. If they hadn't they would have been charged with the trumped up claim of carrying a concealed weapon. They were bitten by dogs, sprayed by water hoses, and showed inestimable courage to stand up for what they believed in. Are we worthy of that foundation to our own reborn party?

We have a long history, a proud history of being on the right side of the issues. The side that history eventually judges as worthy. What will the future judge of us at this time? When your children, and grandchildren read of this era and ask you what you did, will you bow your head and say you supported Government spying? Or will you look fearfully around and say you always supported the government. I intend to look the next two generations in the face and say that I supported, and always support civil rights. Because without those rights, applied in every incident, every instance. Without them, we are not worthy to be called leaders of the free world. Without those rights, we are not a beacon of democracy, and of individuality. We are just another in a long line of imperialist forces in history.