I've been a little lax about updating my blog of late. But now that we're deep into the political season (Don't forget to vote on November 8th!) I thought I'd update my little foray into a political activism event that I attended last summer. On June 29th I participated in the "We the People Rally" in support of changing our current national motto "In God We Trust" back to the original "E Pluribus Unum,"which translates as "Out of Many, One." The rally, located near the Washington State Capitol building in Olympia, was organized by Robert Ray. It was a small crowd, that was dwarfed by the adjacent "Decision America" event run by Rev. Franklin Graham. I think this is an issue that is of national importance. The original motto was changed largely in response to cold war paranoia in the 1950s, and I think we should revert to the older, much more inclusive, motto. There were several speakers at the rally. Videos of many of them are available at this link.
Below is a copy of the entirety of my speech, and below that is a video of my delivery. Hopefully, we will eventually succeed in this effort.
"America was founded as an escape from religious domination. Since then, we have had a long history of rancorous disagreements, fostered by a rich palette of dissenting views and differing opinions. Some of these conflicts have been resolved amicably, some not. But America is not, and should never be, a singular voice. A lone voice, amplified by the masses, is the very essence of fascism. It is ingrained in our constitution and our public ethos that we should all have a voice. It is what defines us. This has led to the most important political invention of all time, the ballot box. Respect for our differences is what makes us strong. It is well known that an alloy of tempered steel is stronger than iron. Not since the Viet Nam War, perhaps not since the Civil War, have we lived in a country so divided. We are torn by racial discord, by differences in sexual identity, by vast differences in wealth, and by differences in belief or non-belief in god or gods. But, I believe, if we are to survive, if we are to thrive, we must do more than tolerate our differences. We must celebrate our diversity. We live in a country defined by blue states and red states. But, I wish, I so dearly wish, that America could be purple. I dream of a purple rainbow. This, is why we need a motto, not that separates us into believers and non-believers, but that unites us all. E Pluribus Unum: From the many, one. "
Below is a copy of the entirety of my speech, and below that is a video of my delivery. Hopefully, we will eventually succeed in this effort.
"America was founded as an escape from religious domination. Since then, we have had a long history of rancorous disagreements, fostered by a rich palette of dissenting views and differing opinions. Some of these conflicts have been resolved amicably, some not. But America is not, and should never be, a singular voice. A lone voice, amplified by the masses, is the very essence of fascism. It is ingrained in our constitution and our public ethos that we should all have a voice. It is what defines us. This has led to the most important political invention of all time, the ballot box. Respect for our differences is what makes us strong. It is well known that an alloy of tempered steel is stronger than iron. Not since the Viet Nam War, perhaps not since the Civil War, have we lived in a country so divided. We are torn by racial discord, by differences in sexual identity, by vast differences in wealth, and by differences in belief or non-belief in god or gods. But, I believe, if we are to survive, if we are to thrive, we must do more than tolerate our differences. We must celebrate our diversity. We live in a country defined by blue states and red states. But, I wish, I so dearly wish, that America could be purple. I dream of a purple rainbow. This, is why we need a motto, not that separates us into believers and non-believers, but that unites us all. E Pluribus Unum: From the many, one. "
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