Amarillo, TX: Of course, discourse

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Yesterday was a special day for me.  Reconnecting with Shayne, and then Dan meant more that I can express here.  It is a measure who they are and how they give of themselves, but in equal measure, it speaks to something larger.

On the bus from Albuquerque to Amarillo, I met and spoke with many people.  Got lots of new words and great stories.  Then something unusual happened.  Jason Thomas, a gentleman returning home to Amarillo who I had spoken to during a short stop approached me to ask me why I was doing this.  The answer directly addresses why my time with Shayne and Dan is so important to me.

My parents used to have card parties.  I have clear memories of sitting in an adjacent room, knees pulled up under my chin, and listening to the grownups discuss politics, policies and current events.  It is important to note, that these memories span years between 1963 and 1968.  Our country was in turmoil.  There was rioting in the streets, student protests, and assassinations.  And while their guests spanned the political spectrum, there was no time that I can recall when these subjects were off limits.

In 2008, as now, the state of our discourse, the ability for families, friends and community to debate and discuss the issues of our day is at the lowest point in my lifetime.  And still, it is that ability that is at the heart of everything that our founders intended for our democracy.  It is why they organized three branches of government, imposed checks and balances and ensured each of us representation.  They called on all of us, and especially our leadership, to engage with each other.

So even when one side thinks that Obama is “Adolf Hitler” and the other believes that Romney is a “compass-less mouthpiece” we have it in us to respect and even to admire each other.

[rtmp3 url="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/108166614/Audio2012/Shayne%20Newbolt.mp3" title="Shayne Newbolt"]

That is why I do this.

See you in four years Shayne

Comments

Amarillo, TX: Of course, discourse — 5 Comments

  1. I listened to the Shayne interview three times.I agree with many of his points.more government will not solve our problems.Also no one throws us our gun and says get out of town.killing our ambassador requires a response.

  4. Hey, you have emoticons enabled :razz:

    I actually did not have difficulty in listening to this. Shayne has some good points. He’s right about Congress getting fired if they’re not doing their job. How can you vote for or against something without reading the whole thing? Richard Feynman was once famously assigned to be on a textbook review committee, and the publishers offered to send people to read the books for him and summarize. He replied that he didn’t see how he could do a good job unless he read every one himself. Sadly, a few weeks from now, many Californians will vote on propositions, never having read a line of the actual text, and a somewhat smaller number will have never even cracked open the voter information guide.