05/09/06: “Mr. President - Tear Down That Wall”

A wall has been built, or so it seems to many, between those inside and outside the Beltway. What goes on inside Washington DC is hardly intelligible. Our sense of political efficacy, immeasurable. Six degrees of separation? Hardly. Everywhere there is talk of disconnect. The question is, is there anything that can be done?

Yes. Our Founding Fathers scripted it as a prelude to our great drama. The answer is in “WE THE PEOPLE.”

Last night on CitizenU.org that prelude experienced an amazing dress rehearsal. Simulcasting with a radio show on WAES 88.1 FM, citizens were able to listen and discuss the relevant issues facing America today while preparing for a high stakes A.P. Government exam. The great Chief Justice John Marshall once said: “To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.” It is a start.

Listening is not enough. Telling the truth about issues, learning the complexity of issues, interacting with others about the issues is needed. At CitizenU.org we are committed to that charge.

In the recent film The Interpreter (2005) starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Pean a rare gem is buried in the film’s dialogue. It speaks to our charge as citizens trying to make a difference. “GUNFIRE AROUND us makes it hard to hear. But the human voice is different from other sounds. It can be heard over noises that bury everything else. Even when it's not shouting. Even when it's just a whisper. Even the lowest whisper can be heard - -over armies... when it's telling the truth.” Last night’s program on WAES and on CitizenU.org, the voice of people was heard.

Remember it was Aristotle who wrote, “At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.” The wall which separates the people from those elected to serve is coming down. Let the truth be told, we train political animals and our future happiness depends upon it. Last night the listeners on WAES and the bloggers on CitizenU.org began climbing the wall.

WE THE PEOPLE cannot wait any longer. We are taking our country back to where it belongs - of the people, by the people and for the people.