Julianne ByerThe year 2006 will be what 2005 could never live up to. Somewhere in the universe it has been decided that every moment leading up to this year will not be spent in vain or wasted like so many in the past have been. That is the joy of January; everything seems hopeful and the following 11 months seem like a lifetime.
Somewhere in the universe – wow, that’s deep. Too bad we’ll most likely look back and see the same old people complaining about the same old problems. Well, if you ask me (go ahead, ask), I’m sick of worrying about whether or not the Supreme Court will lean so far right on the political scale it’ll eventually tip itslef over; or heaven forbid, a woman might dare to step foot into a man’s arena and run for president.
Instead, I say we fight about something new for a change here in the Land of the Free. That’s right, a revolution; and no not one of the blood and guts kind, I’m thinking more along the lines of an intellectual uprising. Where we try to find a reason why our ideals are the way they are, and where the answer is not just because they were founded that way. Who said the Enlightenment had to end in the 18th century? In my revolution it comes back and rocks the world free of ignorance and bias; so brace yourself because this is an attempt to get you to question your own ideals and values (which you should be doing because Mommy and Daddy stopped cutting up your meat years ago).
Personally, I want to know who decided that if you are a registered Democrat you are automatically deemed “liberal.” Or even worse, that there is no possible way you could be both Democratic and Christian, or belong to any religious group for that matter. And there I was, thinking that when I signed up for a political party I was attaching myself to their ideas, agendas and fundamentals, not the bad connotations of being a tree-hugging spend thrift.
Is it wishy-washy to claim to be moderate, or is it realistic? If you ask me, liberalism lends itself to anti-government, radicalism and extremism – not Democratic fundamentals. Meanwhile, Republicans get conservatism, big business and the Bible belt, and not to mention a mascot the size of a house.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a revolution for civil rights, Jesus Christ revolutionized the Christian world and Mother Theresa saved the human race from the fear that only the good die young. Has anyone ever bothered to determine which political party these three would have belonged to? No, because it didn’t matter then and it certainly doesn’t matter now.
They had their revolutions, when is it our turn? Whoever said actions spoke louder than words had a point, but they also speak louder than guns, wars and screaming debates over who has more American pride. Let’s stop waiting for the signal to change; let’s do it now, now while some of us still have the courage to care.