Dead Republic Walking? Douglass Reminds Us That We Have a Job to Do

It is always good to read and re-read the patriot and freedom fighter, Frederick Douglass' famous oration, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?", delivered 5 July 1852. You can read it in its entirety by clicking HERE.

I've posted or commented on Douglass' speech for several years, (before I started this blog) and I will continue to do so. After reading it consider how far we have come as a nation and how far we still have to go. The question we are faced with even as we celebrate America's independence this year, and for the sake of enjoying many more, is what are YOU willing to do to make this nation, your community, and your family better?

In the large political spectrum we must take the same excitement, passion, and fight we mustered to elect President Obama to hold him accountable as citizens and also support him as our president. Too many have retreated to the safety of their blankets of criticism to keep warm instead of offering reasonable critique and enduring the harsh weather and bitter cold faced by those who work for genuine change.

Even if President Obama adopted a Black Nationalist agenda (as some would like), he would fall woefully short of expectations. The work of changing this imperialist republic (that sells itself as a democracy) can only the achieved effectively if the citizenry are engaged into the political discourse. Only then can we truly hold our elected officials accountable, as well as ourselves. We are quick to say, "Oh, Oh, look at what he/she is doing! Can you believe it?" There are too many pointing fingers and not enough solutions created to our systemic problems. Again the question is what are YOU doing?

Remember Rome did not fall from outside invasion, it was internal strife that signaled the end their empire. Americans should take notice and act, or prepare to embark on the pilgrimage of destruction. Then again, maybe we are like the death row inmate whose death sentence is soon to be carried out. Maybe we are a "Dead Republic Walking"? I can only pray that we are pardoned by enlightened persons who embody the sense of hope and justice we all yearned for on November 4, 2008.