Baby Got Barak

-- I sent this to a few Newspapers.

Baby got Barack
February 12, 2008
By Hannah Feldberg

Buzz buzz buzz. Hear that? Yes, we can. It’s the sound of Barack Obama and the noise he’s been creating south of our border. The Presidential hopeful is asking the American people to believe in the political process, not by finding a way to agree on policy change but rather by finding common ground in the foundation of humanity. I would argue that this young, gifted leader is changing attitudes across cultures, races, languages, and boarders. He does not just speak to Americans but to the world. You see, Mr. Obama is asking us to have hope. Surely, this message is not just about red, white, and blue but rather it is about looking eachother in the eye, no matter what flag backs us.

So I’m taking this democrat’s lead. Why not? He believes we can, and it starts with me if the message is true. I clear my throat and proclaim that this is a call to action! As Obama’s declaration speaks beyond borders, he is asking us to consider the political process as our next project. This time, we shouldn’t take on a new house renovation or other such extra-curricular activity. This time, we won’t let celebrities speak for us, politicians spend for us and tax-breaks give for us. No - this time we should consider investing ourselves into democracy. A new democratic movement that reminds us while the kids were at public school pursuing spelling bees and degrees, and while we found a way to put dinner on the table after a hard days work, we still had time to participate in the political process. You can go to bed thinking that you wanted to be apart of your community but really - your community needed you to be apart of it.

If you have an issue in your neighbourhood, at your child’s school, or in regards to a policy you read about in the newspaper – do something about it. Come on, I dare you. Maybe you don’t know enough about Afghanistan to form an educated opinion, so you form nothing. Maybe global warming gives you chills, but you don’t think there’s anything you can do about the temperature. You stand in the shadow of democracy and expect to get a tan while the sun has already gone down. Or maybe you just want to stay indoors - out of the sun and out of your community altogether. But today, consider my challenge. I challenge you to somehow change your daily life to include active participation in the political process. The fun part is that you get to define active participation for your own life – as long as you’re doing more than what you have been.

Barack says “nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change”. Should you accept my challenge, and I hope you do - expect critics. Tell them you want change and you’re actually doing something about it. The idea of millions of people caring about politics is daunting when we live in such an arguably apathetic world. So if you want change, show your change. Mr. Obama asks you to consider his message for a better life simply by having hope. This same political underdog says there has never been anything false about hope. And this proud Canadian says there has never been anything better than agreeing with him.