Letter to various members of Congress and presidential hopefuls
Dear ________________,
Thank you for your time in reading this letter. I write you today not just as a constituent, but more so as an independent citizen of the United States of America. As I am well aware, you have been receiving countless letters in the past few days, which I’m sure range in scope and emotion. I wish to add my perspective, and hopefully my part of clarity to your decisions in this crucial period of our history.
I like most Americans am concerned about the economic crisis we now face, yet I can’t help but feel that this is now an opportunity for us to reclaim some of what we have lost through hasty measures such as the Patriot Act and support of wars in other lands. We now have the opportunity to show the rest of the world what it means to be American again. The opportunity to show that we rule, and are not ruled by our economy. The opportunity to show that under any circumstances, the American people are resolute in standing up for what is right and just in the lives of every man and woman in this world.
Too much of who we are has been for sale, and too often have we been subject to the demands of richer men. We’ve given up our liberties with sighs of relief and our influence over our own government with roaring applause. Under the fear of terrorism, or depression, or simply out of a lack of will we have surrendered so much of what makes us American, it’s sometimes hard to remember what made our country the envy of the world. But today was different. After the economic bailout measure, or the “Troubled Asset Relief Program” or whatever you wish to call it was defeated, I like many Americans watch the stocks plummet and felt that pang of fear which has gripped us and pushed us into so many unwise decisions over the past decade. But after that fear settled, I felt something else in New York City, something that had been brewing since before anyone can remember.
Rarely in my life have I had a day like today. For the first time I walked the streets of New York and personally saw something in the face of everyone I passed: Strength. It’s not to say that any one of us isn’t flawed, or scared of what’s to come, but this morning we all seemed to stand a little taller, and remember a little more of who and what we are in this country.
As the hours tick by, I see people on television, in the newspaper, everywhere telling me how we must “act now!” or apocalyptic things will happen. I’ve heard every kind of excuse of why we need this bailout, and every kind of explanation of what will happen without it, and I’ve got to say it just doesn’t seem to be working anymore. Sure, I don’t want to loose my job, and I don’t want my parents or grandparents to loose their retirements. I don’t want to see people have to give up their homes, nor do I wish to see people suffer on welfare or unemployment. But I’m well past the point where I’m willing to sell my freedom for that false kind of security.
I understand that it may be difficult from here on, I understand that I may loose my job and many of the comforts of my daily life. I understand that it will be harder for me to send my children to school one day, or to buy a home. But the reason I am writing you today is to tell you that I am willing to be burdened with all of that, if it means that I can be a free American once again. Over 200 years ago, patriots risked everything for the opportunity to be free. To run their own government, rather than to be governed. They marched into cannon fire and certain death, so that those who survived would no longer live as subjects to the elite of society. If they were willing to do this, I am more than willing to weather this in the name of my, and my countrymen’s freedom.
So please regard this as my declaration: No longer is my liberty for sale. There is no better statement that I can reference than that of the last line of our National Anthem: “For the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” What’s in those words, what we’ve lost sight of is that to be free, one must be brave. One must not, out of fear, relinquish their liberties, their inalienable rights to a homeland security administration. One must not, out of fear, march to war based on the lies of shallow men with not so shallow bank accounts. And one must not, out of fear, hand over their last treasure to those who have been robbing them for decades. No, yesterday we saw Americans from all across the country stand up and tell this government that we are no longer afraid. If the markets crash, they crash. If we loose our jobs, we’ll find new ones. We are the United States of America, and we are brave. We will get through this with or without your markets, with or without your banks. We are the economy. We are strong and resolute and above all free.
Now is the time for those of you in Washington to realize that it is us who govern ourselves, and to commit to representing us the way in which you’ve always been required to, but rarely ever have. With all we’ve heard about change this election, many of you seem to be glancing right over this opportunity we now have to finally reclaim our lives, and no longer live as slaves to a corporate community which has long since stripped us of virtually all dignity we have as Americans.
I have more confidence and love for this country and the people within than anyone can imagine. All that I can hope is that you feel the same way about the people you represent as I do. Please consider these words, and what it means to be free in this, the home of the brave. Please resist the urge to do what you feel is “Best for us” and trust that we are strong enough and brave enough to retain our liberty, come what may.
Love to you and love to the United States of America,
M. McGovern
Brooklyn, NY
Thank you for your time in reading this letter. I write you today not just as a constituent, but more so as an independent citizen of the United States of America. As I am well aware, you have been receiving countless letters in the past few days, which I’m sure range in scope and emotion. I wish to add my perspective, and hopefully my part of clarity to your decisions in this crucial period of our history.
I like most Americans am concerned about the economic crisis we now face, yet I can’t help but feel that this is now an opportunity for us to reclaim some of what we have lost through hasty measures such as the Patriot Act and support of wars in other lands. We now have the opportunity to show the rest of the world what it means to be American again. The opportunity to show that we rule, and are not ruled by our economy. The opportunity to show that under any circumstances, the American people are resolute in standing up for what is right and just in the lives of every man and woman in this world.
Too much of who we are has been for sale, and too often have we been subject to the demands of richer men. We’ve given up our liberties with sighs of relief and our influence over our own government with roaring applause. Under the fear of terrorism, or depression, or simply out of a lack of will we have surrendered so much of what makes us American, it’s sometimes hard to remember what made our country the envy of the world. But today was different. After the economic bailout measure, or the “Troubled Asset Relief Program” or whatever you wish to call it was defeated, I like many Americans watch the stocks plummet and felt that pang of fear which has gripped us and pushed us into so many unwise decisions over the past decade. But after that fear settled, I felt something else in New York City, something that had been brewing since before anyone can remember.
Rarely in my life have I had a day like today. For the first time I walked the streets of New York and personally saw something in the face of everyone I passed: Strength. It’s not to say that any one of us isn’t flawed, or scared of what’s to come, but this morning we all seemed to stand a little taller, and remember a little more of who and what we are in this country.
As the hours tick by, I see people on television, in the newspaper, everywhere telling me how we must “act now!” or apocalyptic things will happen. I’ve heard every kind of excuse of why we need this bailout, and every kind of explanation of what will happen without it, and I’ve got to say it just doesn’t seem to be working anymore. Sure, I don’t want to loose my job, and I don’t want my parents or grandparents to loose their retirements. I don’t want to see people have to give up their homes, nor do I wish to see people suffer on welfare or unemployment. But I’m well past the point where I’m willing to sell my freedom for that false kind of security.
I understand that it may be difficult from here on, I understand that I may loose my job and many of the comforts of my daily life. I understand that it will be harder for me to send my children to school one day, or to buy a home. But the reason I am writing you today is to tell you that I am willing to be burdened with all of that, if it means that I can be a free American once again. Over 200 years ago, patriots risked everything for the opportunity to be free. To run their own government, rather than to be governed. They marched into cannon fire and certain death, so that those who survived would no longer live as subjects to the elite of society. If they were willing to do this, I am more than willing to weather this in the name of my, and my countrymen’s freedom.
So please regard this as my declaration: No longer is my liberty for sale. There is no better statement that I can reference than that of the last line of our National Anthem: “For the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” What’s in those words, what we’ve lost sight of is that to be free, one must be brave. One must not, out of fear, relinquish their liberties, their inalienable rights to a homeland security administration. One must not, out of fear, march to war based on the lies of shallow men with not so shallow bank accounts. And one must not, out of fear, hand over their last treasure to those who have been robbing them for decades. No, yesterday we saw Americans from all across the country stand up and tell this government that we are no longer afraid. If the markets crash, they crash. If we loose our jobs, we’ll find new ones. We are the United States of America, and we are brave. We will get through this with or without your markets, with or without your banks. We are the economy. We are strong and resolute and above all free.
Now is the time for those of you in Washington to realize that it is us who govern ourselves, and to commit to representing us the way in which you’ve always been required to, but rarely ever have. With all we’ve heard about change this election, many of you seem to be glancing right over this opportunity we now have to finally reclaim our lives, and no longer live as slaves to a corporate community which has long since stripped us of virtually all dignity we have as Americans.
I have more confidence and love for this country and the people within than anyone can imagine. All that I can hope is that you feel the same way about the people you represent as I do. Please consider these words, and what it means to be free in this, the home of the brave. Please resist the urge to do what you feel is “Best for us” and trust that we are strong enough and brave enough to retain our liberty, come what may.
Love to you and love to the United States of America,
M. McGovern
Brooklyn, NY