Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Restoring some faith in the Democractic process ...
I am a cynic when it comes to our government and its leaders. With all the scandals, corruption probes, election sideshows ... who can blame me, right? I am sure religiously watching "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" doesn't help either. (tangent: have you seen the Colbert and Rain segment? It's hilarious!)Last August, Senator Robert Menendez sent me a couple responses (part 1, part 2) to the letters I wrote him about the Dafur Genocide. When I read the letters, I thought they were just typical propaganda letters used solely to get my vote. I even poked fun at him for using his interns to write really bad replies. Today I stand corrected.
It really surprised me when I found out from NPR that Menendez is actually one of the strong supporters for stopping the genocide at Dafur. He even openly criticized the watered-down peacekeeping resolution the Senate is trying pass for the region. When I heard that audio clip, I almost felt proud, as if my letters actually accomplished something. This will probably boost my morale for our government for a month. Hopefully I'll use it to get more involved in our governmental process by getting my voice heard instead of running away from it in disgust.
Check out this site - they rate senators on how pro-dafur they are. Menendez actually gets an A+ ... who would've known?