Let me please beg your forgiveness for what America has done this past week in (re-)electing George W. Bush.  Like you and like many Americans, I am greatly disappointed by the outcome of this election.  More Americans voted for John Kerry than voted for any other winning Presidential candidate in American history... unfortunately, that was even more true for the other guy.  However, this makes it quite clear that not all Americans are ready for America go the way of other great Republics.

I would also beg you for your indulgence.  America experienced a great tragedy in the attacks of 9/11/2001, and while for me they are three years past and no longer hold me in the great grip of fear and mourning that they once did, not all Americans are ready to forget and go on with their lives and their liberties so easily.  Much has been made of the reasons why so many Americans who profoundly disagree with Bush, are concerned about the dangers to liberty in this country and the war in Iraq nonetheless voted to retain this man.  Some of those reasons remain this fear.  Simple answers are more comforting in a time of crisis for some, and so they feel strengthened by the certainty Bush pretends to, and don't know enough to know better.  Because of this I would ask you to be patient with them.  As Jesus said as he died on the cross, "they know not what they do."  I had great hopes as October closed that we would emerge from our long national nightmare and rejoin the world community, but I was wrong, and I can only beg you to be patient and accept us back when more of America has learned to escape their oppressive fears.

In the meantime, America will be struggling for its very soul.  Struggling to recall what it means to be free and have liberty, and to extend that liberty to all its citizens.  Fear not that there are a great many of us here who will not permit this great nation to go too far astray from those values on which it was founded.  Now is not the time to look backward, for we can do nothing about the past, only look forward and try not to repeat the same mistakes.  In the meantime, I can only apologize for the deeds done or about to be done in America's name.

With deepest sincerity,

Betsy McCall

courses
teaching
writing
images
interests
pewter gallery
giftedness
research
quotes
school
travel
godless weddings
old web designs