Crossroads

Today is a somber day.  I listened to both the president’s speech, and to the former vp’s speech on national security.  As I listened to Obama I remembered what he said at Notre Dame when he spoke of the lighthouse and the crossroads.  I believe that Obama was pointing out that as a nation we can serve as a lighthouse to other nations by clinging to our principles, even when it is hard.  He pointed out that because we are a nation that is under the rule of law:

But I believe with every fiber of my being that in the long run we also cannot keep this country safe unless we enlist the power of our most fundamental values. The documents that we hold in this very hall - the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights -are not simply words written into aging parchment. They are the foundation of liberty and justice in this country, and a light that shines for all who seek freedom, fairness, equality and dignity in the world. … From Europe to the Pacific, we have been a nation that has shut down torture chambers and replaced tyranny with the rule of law. That is who we are. And where terrorists offer only the injustice of disorder and destruction, America must demonstrate that our values and institutions are more resilient than a hateful ideology….

With this speech I believe that this president has repudiated the actions of the administration that went before, and is now making a correction so that we as a nation can get back to being the “light that shines for all. ”

When I listened to our former vp, I was saddened.  His speech consisted of numerous defenses and excuses for why the previous administration did what they did.  I didn’t like the name calling, and needless personal attacks.  I believed it was only fair to listen to this speech, but I had to force myself to keep listening.  Cheney continued to defend the use of torture.  From what he said I have to conclude that for him our rule of laws, and our constitution, can be shoved aside and ignored whenever a leader feels like it.  If this is the case, then we cease to be the United States of America and become just like other nations around us, and no better.  Maybe that is good enough for him, but it is not good enough for the rest of us.  We are proud of our constitution, and proud of the checks and balances of government. 

As I listened to these back-to-back speeches it hit me… we are at a crossroads as a nation when we are choosing the nation we will be in the years to come.  Either we will restore our principles to their rightful place and continue as a nation of laws, or we will be degraded into a nation that follows the whims of the leaders who happen to be in power at the time.  Either we will defend human rights and the dignity of persons, or we will become those who abuse human rights, and abuse those who are under our care.  Either we torture, or we do not. 

Over the next few years we as a nation will decide who we are, and how we are to act in this world.  May we choose wisely!

Tags: cheney, crossroads, obama, speech