an open letter to John Kerry

Last night I went to a wonderful party where the hosts were trying to raise money for MoveOn.org in support of the Kerry campaign. After the "debate" last night, I want to say to Mr. Kerry, that if you, through the generousity and hardwork of others, do indeed get the "priviledge" to be President, you must hold yourself accountable to the American people and to the world. My concerns are not that you might be a "liberal" or "flip-flopping" as the right-wingers would like to portray you, but that you rarely tell us in these debates what YOU will do differently. YOU spend so much time responding to the petty things that Bush says to you, that you leave no room to tell us what we WANT to hear: "I, John Kerry, will think before I act. I will remember that I once fought for and gave voice to the oppressed masses on both sides of a war (not unlike the present "peace" our troops and Iraqi civilians are dying in) and I promise to fight such oppression for the duration of my term. I want to see America be great, not in terms of destructive military might but in respect to human rights, diplomacy and equality. I vow to remember what the words democracy, freedom, and liberty stand for and to protect those who cannot protect themselves, including those within our nation and those who have, in the past, been victimized or are currently being victimized by our nation. I will undo the damage done by the current administration, to the environment, to our economy, to global alliances and to international law. This is what America needs. This is the only "leadership" the world WANTS from America."

Please Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards, please refrain from toeing the line. Please refrain from the same macho rhetoric that the current administration wants to you to say about "hunting and killing terrorists" and about being "strong and tough" because everyone has heard those lines until we are sick of them. Fight terrorism in ways that address the causes of terrorism and tell us how you will do this. Lay that out on the table. Tell us how you will bring our troops home and stop using them as an occupying force. Tell us how you will fight oppression in Palestine in order to make life safer for both Palestinians and Israelis. Tell us how you will improve the quality, availability, and affordability of health care in America. Tell us how you will fight the corporate monopoly on everything from healthcare to outsourcing to living wages and worker rights. Please tell us what you WILL do differently and stop reacting to the mudslinging of your opposition. Talk to us about inclusiveness rather than hegemony. Please don't point us to your website as most of us have read from there exactly where you stand on these issues. We want to hear from YOU right now. Your words will define you only to a point and none of us who are listening to you, actually CARE what your opponent says about your votes in the Senate or whether or not, you've "shown up" to vote on issues. We want to know now what you will do as President. Stop playing by the rules of ego and framing and start leveling with us. We will hold you to your promises so make them count.

Best.
A voting American citizen (who is also a citizen of the world)