I believe in words, not bullets.

I believe in discourse, not force. Everyone has a voice, and every voice deserves to be heard. That is the very essence of democracy, which is what our nation claims to practice. But, some voices shout a lot louder than others, drowning out the rest. And, those that get shouted down get stepped on, forgotten in the mad scramble for an American Dream that has been distorted to the point that it is no longer recognizable. A few people hold the twisted remains of this dream clenched tightly in their fists, and shout louder and louder, their voices uniting into slogans of entitlement and fear. And, these voices have taken control of our country, turning it into a place where the self-interests of a few become more important than the necessities of the many. The haves have more and the have-nots have less than at any point in our history, and still these people are not satisfied. Too much is not enough, and it never will be. Compassion and brotherhood are no longer virtues, replaced by greed and deception. Ignorance is celebrated, and conformity is demanded. So, they shout and shout, hoping the cacophony will drown out all the voices of rationality and dissent.

But, this is my voice. It is just one small voice, but it is mine, and I will not let it be silenced. The words here are mine, but I speak for everyone that has been shouted down, everyone that has been intimidated, everyone that has been oppressed. That’s idealistic, sure, but this country was founded on ideals. And, the fact that those ideals have been forgotten does not mean that they no longer exist. So, I’ll hold on to my ideals, hoping that my single voice can be heard through the din, a solitary voice of reason in an irrational world, spreading truth and compassion in a time when those things have lost their value. And, I’ll hope that my voice will find others like it, and that together we can shout above the shouters, breaking into minds that have been locked closed by the corruptible forces of money and power and religion and complacency.

Because, I also believe that minds can be changed, and that this is more easily done with knowledge than with force. The only response to force is more force, while discourse requires thought. And, with thought comes the potential for new ideas, or at least the potential to reconsider old ones. So, I’ll try to offer facts and reason, as those are the ammunition in this revolution, because this is a revolution. We are fighting against ignorance, selfishness and hypocrisy, and it’s going to be an uphill battle.

So, let’s get started.