July 16th, 1969
July 11th 2009 17:06
When Apollo 11 roared off the pad on July 16, 1969, everyone alive sensed something important. The "Space Race" had been going on for a few years, but this was the first time anyone would be walking on another piece of real estate in space. If you were on earth, your eyes were to the moon. And the promise of the future.
Well, it hasn't turned out quite as the promise painted it. When Kubrick's view of 2001 came out, it didn't seem that outlandish to imagine us soon taking vacations on the moon. It is rather ironic that the spacecraft in the movie had the logo of Pan Am, the long defunct American iconic airline.
In spite of all the problems confronted in the 60s, there still existed a strong feeling of "we can." We can confront civil rights and see change. We can move women ahead. We can fight against an unjust war. The struggles may be long and hard, but "we can" take action.
Could we do the same today? America went from being a leader in areas of expertise and exploration to being at best an also-ran. Corporate power so infused itself in the American landscape that it became hard to do anything except enhance corporate profits. Sure, we could still make good movies in America, and we can make war machines like nobody's business. But couldn't we do more?
Working together on big plans became "socialism" while greed and avarice became traits to be admired. Americans began to admire some of the least deserving of admiration among us simply because of wealth. Education took a back seat to profit. The Reagan era gave us a new hollowness, and a division between those of us who still had hope for a better America and those who wished to give everything to the consolidation of power, profits.
With the election of Barack Obama came a renewed sense of hope for many Americans, and a sense of fear and loathing to those who wanted the status quo. Will it continue, and can the sense of "yes we can" overcome the entrenched power of "no you can't?" We confront huge energy, environmental, and social problems. Why can't we, as a society, decide to overcome them?
On energy - In WWII in America we could build a liberty ship from keel to launch in three days. Are you telling me we can't build windmills? Or solar panels for every roof in America? Electric cars that work and are affordable?The conservative answer is to step back, to "drill baby drill," to grasp at maintaining the status quo. We need to ignore them and move ahead.
On the environment - We know we need to change the way we do things - are you going to tell me we can't, just because big oil doesn't want us to? We can't reduce our carbon footprint dramatically? The conservative answer is to let "the market" sort things out, but the market has no interest in anything but profits.
On health care - America spends more than twice as much per person as the second highest country, but with less effective results. Are you telling me we "can't do it here?" Or that it "won't work in America?" Why the hell not?
On infrastructure - The United States that built the interstate system has bridges crumbling and roads decaying. A plan to build a modern transportation system - now that's a stimulus package!
In America we need to figure out that we can, or here's some news - we will be walked right past and left behind. The countries that colonize Mars won't be American, and that will just be a symptom of what happened. Perhaps, that might be good in the long run, if we became another player among many instead of the "only superpower."
Still, if we are to avoid a slide into second or third tier status. we need to embrace "Yes We Can!" Don't you want America to be known as something besides the world's biggest consumer? Shouldn't we work to be part of a world that works together to find real solutions, instead of just being the neighborhood bully?
President Obama is overseas right now, working to that end. We need to not only help him, but to work to make sure he and other leaders work for us, and not for corporations and the uber-wealthy. If we want real change, we need to be part of the solution. We need to stand up in numbers large enough so that our voices are heard over those who would hold us back.
Make no mistake, change will come to America. We can embrace it and move ahead, or we can wait for it to happen and pick up the pieces.
Well, it hasn't turned out quite as the promise painted it. When Kubrick's view of 2001 came out, it didn't seem that outlandish to imagine us soon taking vacations on the moon. It is rather ironic that the spacecraft in the movie had the logo of Pan Am, the long defunct American iconic airline.
In spite of all the problems confronted in the 60s, there still existed a strong feeling of "we can." We can confront civil rights and see change. We can move women ahead. We can fight against an unjust war. The struggles may be long and hard, but "we can" take action.
Could we do the same today? America went from being a leader in areas of expertise and exploration to being at best an also-ran. Corporate power so infused itself in the American landscape that it became hard to do anything except enhance corporate profits. Sure, we could still make good movies in America, and we can make war machines like nobody's business. But couldn't we do more?
Working together on big plans became "socialism" while greed and avarice became traits to be admired. Americans began to admire some of the least deserving of admiration among us simply because of wealth. Education took a back seat to profit. The Reagan era gave us a new hollowness, and a division between those of us who still had hope for a better America and those who wished to give everything to the consolidation of power, profits.
With the election of Barack Obama came a renewed sense of hope for many Americans, and a sense of fear and loathing to those who wanted the status quo. Will it continue, and can the sense of "yes we can" overcome the entrenched power of "no you can't?" We confront huge energy, environmental, and social problems. Why can't we, as a society, decide to overcome them?
On energy - In WWII in America we could build a liberty ship from keel to launch in three days. Are you telling me we can't build windmills? Or solar panels for every roof in America? Electric cars that work and are affordable?The conservative answer is to step back, to "drill baby drill," to grasp at maintaining the status quo. We need to ignore them and move ahead.
On the environment - We know we need to change the way we do things - are you going to tell me we can't, just because big oil doesn't want us to? We can't reduce our carbon footprint dramatically? The conservative answer is to let "the market" sort things out, but the market has no interest in anything but profits.
On health care - America spends more than twice as much per person as the second highest country, but with less effective results. Are you telling me we "can't do it here?" Or that it "won't work in America?" Why the hell not?
On infrastructure - The United States that built the interstate system has bridges crumbling and roads decaying. A plan to build a modern transportation system - now that's a stimulus package!
In America we need to figure out that we can, or here's some news - we will be walked right past and left behind. The countries that colonize Mars won't be American, and that will just be a symptom of what happened. Perhaps, that might be good in the long run, if we became another player among many instead of the "only superpower."
Still, if we are to avoid a slide into second or third tier status. we need to embrace "Yes We Can!" Don't you want America to be known as something besides the world's biggest consumer? Shouldn't we work to be part of a world that works together to find real solutions, instead of just being the neighborhood bully?
President Obama is overseas right now, working to that end. We need to not only help him, but to work to make sure he and other leaders work for us, and not for corporations and the uber-wealthy. If we want real change, we need to be part of the solution. We need to stand up in numbers large enough so that our voices are heard over those who would hold us back.
Make no mistake, change will come to America. We can embrace it and move ahead, or we can wait for it to happen and pick up the pieces.
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