Road Less Traveled By

[nytemare]

Well I sent this to the Orlando Sentinel, but it is too long to print, so I will post it here.

Road Less Traveled By
There is a poem by Robert Frost about being faced with a difficult and challenging decision between two equally tempting roads. This choice, once made, proved to be a major turning point for him.

America soon faces a similair choice. We have come to a fork in the road, and it is time for us, as Americans, to make an important choice that will effect the rest of our lives, and the lives the generations to come. Rarely in America have the stakes been higher.

On the road we have been traveling, we have seen many billboards making promises not kept, but warning of the dangers of alternate routes. The road signs deceptively encourage, saying the goal is just ahead, yet it remains out of reach. The road has not been well maintained. There have been many potholes, but when we call to report them, they tell us they don't know what we are talking about. They say the potholes have already been fixed, or they don't even exist. Only the very wealthy can afford vehicles to withstand this treacherous course. Promises of "Clear Skies" and "Healthy Forests" have only yielded torrential rain and fields of tree stumps as far as the eye can see. Those who were following our lead are left behind, broken down, or tired being helpless lemmings. We are running out of fuel and money, and the gas is $2.00 a gallon. The billboards advertise that this is the road of security, the upcoming route would be unthinkable and devastating should we take it, yet this road we are on leads only to a cliff.

Ahead of America is the fork in the road. This is a path of change, the road to a new era in America. It is a course of accountability, were promises made have been worked on to be kept. It is a road of hard work, but of progress. We can now see a tangible goal in front of us. It is a path of research, and we find the skies actually clearing, and the forests healthy with trees. Fuel prices are lower due to lower demand caused by the rising popularity of high performance hybrid vehicles. Potholes, though they exist, are fewer, and are repaired quickly. It is easier to fix a pothole when you admit it exists. Those who were following gradually get back in line, proud of the progress we have made, happy to follow our lead again, offering us the security that was an empty promise before. On this path of the New Era, opportunity belongs to all classes, and the road is affordable to all because it belongs to us all.

We have an important choice America. We can continue the same course, with the same empty promises, being battered endlessly despite our faith. We can keep being deceived about our status, and keep sinking deeper, or we can take the fork in the road. We can take the road less traveled. It is a leap of faith, but it is an educated faith. The decision of which path to take could be the most crucial of our lifetime, do we take the path of despair but familiarity, or do we take the path of hope that leads us into the New Era.

Staying the same course will be selling America short, and depriving the world of it's true leadership. John Kerry and John Edwards can lead us on this new path to the New Era. All we have to do on November 2nd is take the road less traveled by, and that will make all the difference.

[freesqueeze]

1. I Think We're Going to Need to Throw It Into Reverse

And back up a while before we can get on the better road. Looks like we past that fork when Bush invaded Iraq and we've been stuck in the ruts ever since.