Mr. Smith goes to Washington, 2010 elections, People not platitudes

I had already generally decided what I was going to write this morning by late afternoon yesterday. Later I discovered that TCM was playing “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” starring Jimmy Stewart. Of course I had to watch it again. Perhaps the movie is a bit sentimental, a bit schmaltzy. Well, I like it and I like what the movie and Jimmy Stewart stand for. I am also reminded of another favorite of mine, “It’s a Wonderful Life” also starring Jimmy Stewart where Stewart speaks of all the everyday people who do the living and the dying.

We often speak in platitudes that involve patriotism, the flag, the US Constitution and lofty ideals, but what does this really mean? Jimmy Stewart, in the movie speaks of being free when his ancestors were not. We certainly should never take our freedom for granted. But it also means justice for all and a level playing field of opportunity. In simple terms it means working together for our common safety and prosperity.

When I began covering the issues surrounding Obama, the 2008 elections and the takeover of this country by un American elements, many people in my life questioned my zeal. I explained to them that I had never experienced or read about anything so radical, so drastic happening in this country before. And when  I say that, I include the American Civil War. Many people I talked to could not understand my motives. Of course, they were not really paying attention. They were lulled into a false sense of security. Many were fooled by a promise of change, a sense of a better world, a better life, not unlike the surreal world that played out for the German people in the early 1930’s.

I was concerned then as I am now that the world that I grew up in, where there were people like “Mr. Smith” who believed in what this country stood for and were willing to sacrifice all to defend it was disappearing. That we were entering a world more like that of “1984” by George Orwell where people are not free to live and think and speak out.

Over the past several years I have been watching the economy falter and our Justice system decline. I have watched the news of the housing market and jobs data go from bad to worse. This has been troubling on the macro level. The big picture. But what does all of this really mean?

Here is where this really hits home. This is why I and so many of you have been fighting to save this country. In my daily life I have watched as those around me have lost faith in the institutions of our country. As they have lost faith in obtaining jobs and in supporting their family and most importantly in the future of this country.

It really hits you in the face in the despair you see in the countenance of a friend, who is fighting depression from struggles on many fronts. The economy is not helping. In the checkout line yesterday at the grocery store, the lady who took my money seemed frazzled. She told me that she was working 3 jobs and about to divorce her husband. God bless her.

It really hits home when you hear of a real tragedy. A lady I know recently lost her son in law. He committed suicide. He was around 40, had 3 children and had been out of work for over a year and a half.

This is what the platitudes are all about. People. People with a common bond to live free, raise their families in a safe environment with hope for the future. This is why we must continue to fight to save this country. That is what it is all about.

The 2010 elections are less than a month away. We must do everything in our power to change Congress.