Tending the Garden

"You have to tend to this garden of democracy, otherwise things can fall apart fairly quickly. And we've seen societies where that happens,"

Former president Barack Obama

In these days of a clearly 'unstable' individual in a position of great power in the US of Eh who does not seem to realize that his words have a (largely negative) impact world wide it is becoming increasingly important for those who are concerned about the decline of reasonable dialog and being replaced by unhelpful rhetoric to speak up. One such person who chooses his words very carefully is Mr Obama and his recent words to a gathering at the Economic Club of Chicago need to be listened to by those who still think that we are not ALL are in great danger from the words and actions of would be power hungry dictators world wide.

"There have been periods in our history where censorship was considered OK. We had the McCarthy era. We had a President who had to resign prior to impeachment because he was undermining rule of law. At every juncture, we've had to wrestle with big problems."

"During my presidency, the press often drove me nuts," he said. "There were times where I thought reporters were ill-informed. There were times where they didn't actually get the story right. But what I understood was that principle of the free press was vital, and that, as President, part of my job was to make sure that that was maintained."

“Timeless values should transcend parties. I’d argue that freedom of the press should be ideal,” he said. “What I understood was that principle that the free press was vital. As president, part of my job was to make sure that that was maintained.”

"I do think because we’ve been so wealthy and so successful that we get complacent. We assume things continue the way they have been just automatically, and they don’t. You have to tend to this garden of democracy, otherwise, things can fall apart fairly quickly. And we've seen societies where that happens. Now, presume there was a ballroom here in Vienna in the late 1920s or '30s that looked and seemed as if it, filled with the music and art and literature that was emerging, would continue into perpetuity. And then 60 million people died. An entire world was plunged into chaos. So you got to pay attention -- and vote."

Enough said, pay attention folks!

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