Advertisement
#donaldtrump
#community
#joebiden
#election2024
#cartoon
#michaelcohen
#republicans
#media
#openthread
#law
#israel
#gop
#elections
#ukraine
#russia
#gaza
#democracy
#stormydaniels
#democrats
#politics
#georgia
#trumptrial
#2024
#election
#dailykoselections
#culture
#climate
#court
#2024election
#science
Help Desk
Make a Donation
Write a story
Manage Front Page Queue
New Blog Entry
Drafts
Profile
Image Library
My Groups
My Stories
My Activity Stream
My Comments
Subscribe to Hide Ads
Show Ads
Hide Ads
Help Desk
Make A Donation
Sign Out
Log In
Sign Up
Create a free account
Log in
All Recent Stories
Staff
Community
Trending
Elections
From Markos' Desk
Comics
Community Groups
Community Spotlight
Actions
Civiqs
Make a Donation
Quick Links
Help Desk
Jobs
Work With Us
Advertising Overview
© Kos Media, LLC. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC.
Privacy Policy
|
Terms of Use
|
DMCA Copyright Notice
#donaldtrump
#community
#joebiden
#election2024
#cartoon
#michaelcohen
#republicans
#media
#openthread
#law
#israel
#gop
#elections
#ukraine
#russia
#gaza
#democracy
#stormydaniels
#democrats
#politics
#georgia
#trumptrial
#2024
#election
#dailykoselections
#culture
#climate
#court
#2024election
#science
A Call To Decency
by
Phosbrite
Community
(This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021
at
8:34:41pm PST
Abraham Lincoln called on the nation to heal.
Franklin Roosevelt called on the nation to fight through fear.
John Kennedy called on the nation to serve.
Today, Joe Biden called on the nation to find decency and goodness in our daily travels. In the great tradition of inaugural addresses, the new Chief Executive has challenged the nation to rise up in a time of crisis. If we are willing to follow his lead, America will recover from this time of strife and stress. Decency is not a surrender. Goodness is not a capitulation. The challenge is for us all to find the right thing to do, and then do it. It won't be easy. It certainly won't always fully fit our ideology, but it can and must be done.
We have monstrous problems and we have big problems. A virus that has locked us in our homes for a year and an economy in shambles must be our priorities in the first 100 days. Without workable solutions to these critical issues, nothing else that matters can ever be addressed. When President Lincoln asked, "let us strive on to finish the work we are in", it was the monstrous problems of Civil War and slavery to which he referred. Without finishing that work, nothing else would have mattered. When FDR warned that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself", it was the monstrous problem of the Great Depression that he knew Americans must attack with courage and sacrifice. Without that courage and sacrifice, nothing else could have mattered. And when JFK said, "ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country", it was the monstrous problems of international Communism and staggering poverty both at home and abroad that called us all to service. This call to serve was the only thing that mattered.
As President Biden issues his call for decency and goodness, he knows this is what will best address the global pandemic and a staggering economy. Following the advice of the doctors and scientists is the only thing that matters if we are to bring the virus under control. It is the right, good, and decent thing to do for all Americans. And, until and unless we put finish to the pandemic, the economy can never recover. And economic recovery matters a great deal. President Biden's words embody those of the three great American presidents whose words ring down through the years to fall on our ears today. Decency asks us to finish the work, it asks us to fight through the fear and it asks us think about what we can do for others, not ourselves.
So, as we begin the writing of this new chapter of the great book, "America", we are offered a choice. Find our way to decency and goodness and begin the process of recovery and healing or remain mired in selfishness, greed, and deep division and watch this great nation slip further into the depths of it's own ruin. I can only hope that we will make the decent choice.