This Important Moment

Hi friends and family,

This is a very important moment. Next week we'll elect a new
president to lead our country, and to a large extent our world. I
don't pretend to know everything about national or international
politics, but I do feel like I'm on solid footing when I ask you to
vote for Barack Obama.

Our world is beautiful, and diverse, and very complicated. Racial,
ethnic, and religious conflicts are constantly flaring up on every
continent. In the past month we have seen that our international
economic systems are precarious and fragile. The next president will
have to address these issues with intelligence, compassion, and
patience.

We cannot afford to keep making enemies in the world. We have to
re-create the meaningful alliances that the Bush Administration lost
through arrogance and violence. We must show the world that we are
thoughtful, caring, and fair. This is the road to peace and safety.

And at home, we need intelligent solutions to our complex problems.
We need a professor, not a fighter pilot. We need calm, not anxiety.
We need hope and positivity, not fear and entrenchment.

If you feel like dismissing my thoughts as naive or partisan, that's
your prerogative. But I hope that you consider how wonderful this
world can be, and yet how easily we can make enemies through arrogant
politics, and thus make the world hostile and dangerous. I have many
years to live on this planet, and we need to make the best choices for
it.

We need Barack Obama.

Thank You,
Roddy Beall