Ignorance Isn't Always Bliss

Driving home from work today, I saw something that made me realize the depths of the battle we have in front of us to convert from griping to renewing. A man, maybe in his 40's or 50's was driving a mazda truck from maybe the 80's. As I approached this truck, I noticed a bumper sticker that read "IMPEACH OBAMA". After my initial chuckle and proverbial head shake, I was taken by the fact that he probably meant it. So I started asking myself why, about 70 days into his administration, this gentleman (?) would be calling for his impeachment.

Could it be because he is black? I remember following the exit poll results during the primaries and being hit by the realities that 20% of the people polled on average, nationwide, felt that a person's race was an important factor in determining their ability to be president. That is 1 in 5 folks, and that to me was amazing. It is important to note that the same number felt that gender was also an important factor. But could this guy have a bumper sticker on his truck implying that he would like to see our country go through an impeachment process, after all we have gone through in recent years, simply because he is a racist? It is, unfortunately, a possibility.

Could it be because he is a Republican? Already since the election, we have seen the Republican Party align itself, for the most part, as a true opposition party. Add to it Rush Limbaugh's "hopes" that President Obama fails, in what ever form you want to believe he said it, RNC Chairman Michael Steele's "interesting" beginning as a party leader, and Republican Legislators looking for any way to spin the time tested "tax and spend" label as the single greatest threat to our economy, and maybe this guy is just aligning himself with his political party. Maybe he is positioning himself to be the next "Joe the _______________", looking for his 15 minutes of fame.

I wondered if he had specific allegations that accompanied his request. Abuse of Authority? Violating the oath to uphold and defend the Constitution? War crimes? 70 days in, I'm sure President Obama has been exposed to all of these things, and somewhere there is a right wing blogger spinning how our current President is responsible for any and all of these crimes. I have already heard the war in Afghanistan/Pakistan referred to as "Obama's War". Spin is such a beautiful thing.

Most of all, I guess I just wondered if he truly understood any of the issues that currently face our country, and how we got there, both right and left, Republican and Democrat. As a Constitutional Moderate, I believe that any position outside of center poses the potential for problems. It is time we return our Nation to one that is ruled by Law, as our Founding Fathers established. While I believe the Constitution is a living document, shaping it's laws through interpretation to suit our greed or inability to be accountable to anyone or anything is unacceptable.

To truly see the American Renewal I believe we need, the first thing that must go is ignorance, specifically deliberate ignorance. Those who simply don't know can be taught, but those who choose not to know, yet spew hatred and divisiveness in the name of unfounded ideology are a cancer to our fundamental success. Race, religion, appearance, social status, political party, professional position and any other superficial means by which we view each other are just a series of barriers preventing us from forming our "more perfect union". Without a fundamental change in how we deal with each other, we can expect no better from our leaders, as they have been plucked from us and tabbed to lead, shortly before we begin hurling stones at them because they have accepted that role.

Now where is that "IMPEACH IGNORANCE" sticker I was looking for...........................