I was just reading the President’s proclamation declaring today to be “Human Rights Day”. Today also kicks off “Human Rights Week” according to the document I’m reading. And the 15th with be “Bill of Rights Day”.
Do these Days mean anything to anyone? Do Americans stop and contemplate the meaning of the freedoms and protections we are afforded by our Constitution and our Bill of Rights? I think we take for granted the liberties we are given as citizens of this country; not all peoples in all countries are so fortunate.
I’m thinking about the PATRIOT Act today, and how it has given unchecked power to our government officials, weakening the checks and balances our own founding fathers initiated to keep our leaders from overstepping their mandates. I’m thinking of the climate of fear we have endured as a nation after 9/11… fear of terrorists, and fear in the hearts of people who might mistakenly be branded as such.
Basic rights. Basic dignity. The right to be chosen on your merits, not rejected by the God you worship or the pigment in your skin. In this season of hope, with its promise of a light that will always shine, take a moment to chip away at that fear of the Other and take a moment to try to understand.
American is an extraordinary country — a very human one, with its own failings and shortsightedness, but on the whole, we are a generous, optimistic bunch. Do not throw away what makes this country so great in a blind, panicked desire for security at any cost.
I think we all need to sit down and read this.
Who can say which ones of us have no stars upon thars?