Picking Up & Going Forward Again....

Written by: Drew Pritt on Nov 4, 2009 9:26 AM EST

As I read the results from the election yesterday, I watched with great trepidation, the results from Maine. There, albeit by a small margin, just like in California last year, the voters decided to vote away a civil right. With a cocktail or two in me, I sat stunned, scanning various websites hoping to find results.

There were the results from Virginia, where Creigh Deeds, and New Jersey, where Jon Corzine, went down into defeat. That lesson was that when Democrats abandon being a Democrat and become a centrist....they lose. There was a lot of talk about New York Congressional District # 23, where Bill Owens defeated (thankfully) a Conservative who had more or less lead an electoral putsch against the Republican nominee, Dede Scozzafava, who ended up endorsing Owens.

But it was the result from Maine. I turned to the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for inspiration and solace. I asked myself over and over again, why do Americans want to punish me, and so many Americans for claiming the birthright guaranteed to us as Americans. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I went through the stages of morning.

Then I listened to a recording of Mahalia Jackson singing, "WE SHALL OVERCOME" and I came upon this passage by Dr. King :

"Now let us begin again. Let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter but beautiful struggle for a better world. This is the calling of the children of God and our brothers and sisters across the world eagerly await our response. Shall we say the odds were too great or the struggle too hard? No....we must choose to go forward together again."

In that spirit, I encouraged others online who were looking for some sense of understanding. Does it lessen the sting? Yes, in a way it does because it made me realize so many Americans have had to fight for these rights. Yes it is a long and bitter but beautiful stuggle.

So the lesson from Tuesday's election results is this....pick up and lets go forward again, because so many are eagerly awaiting our response to this result.

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Location: Little Rock, AR 72227