A New Beginning

It is not President G.W. Bush’s “legacy” that concerns me, but rather that of the U.S. How do we begin again? How do we rebuild our own faith in democracy and the trust of the rest of the world?

First we must be honest about the depth and breadth of destruction we have caused by an undeclared war that was based on deception, a lack of knowledge and cultural intelligence and basic hubris. So where do we start again?

Perhaps one place to look is at the “Four Freedoms” articulated by F.D.R: The freedoms of speech and expression; religion; and freedoms from want and fear.

The first is freedom of speech and expression -- everywhere in the world. We need to take a fresh look at the Patriot Act and abolish those items that restrict our basic freedom of speech and assembly.

The second is freedom of religion -- everywhere in the world. We must open our minds to the study of other world religions and teach about these basic value systems in our schools.

The third is freedom from want -- which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants -- everywhere in the world. We need to be more generous in the use of our resources to abolish hunger, fight AIDS, and meet our commitments to meet the UN 2020 goals.

The fourth is freedom from fear -- which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor-- anywhere in the world. We need to admit that we are the largest arms dealer in the world and begin the put restrictions on the dealing in weapons from U.S. sources. But most of all, we need to abolish the psychology of fear itself that this administration has used to paralyze most Americans for the last six years.

There is much more, but these four basic freedoms are a place to begin.

Merle