In 1848, the first corner of the Washington Monument was laid on the grounds of our nation’s capital. The 555-foot memorial stands strikingly above D.C. in remembrance of America’s first constitutionally recognized president. It is safe to call this a much-deserved monument.
The “Father of America” is seen again on South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore, which also holds the carefully chiseled faces of Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln — three of U.S. history’s most recognized and respected leaders.
As protectors of our freedom and innate rights, these men reflect the fruitful foundation on which America was built — a time when the “Laws of Nature and Nature’s God,” as stated in our Declaration, were truly in pursuit. Their fight was for our rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Surely these are legitimate and honorable reasons why Americans would shine such light on past leaders, going as far as intricately etching their faces into a granite mountainside.
Although these shrines are grandiose and extravagant in appearance, they are deep in meaning. This is more than I can say for our dedication to modern day politicians.
Whether it is a physical shrine that receives our oohs and ahs, or an undying belief that one man will save us all, the amount of devotion we show today’s politicians is almost pitiful.
Politicians are offensively accommodating to their audiences — anything to “connect” with the people. This is obvious when politicians on stage use slang or a southern drawl, or tell a crowd that the opponent will “put y’all back in chains” (referring to Biden’s recent remark).
They use money and sweet-talk to gain numbers, and let us not overlook their empty promises. Respecting and accepting a president because you should is a completely different feeling than honoring someone because they truly deserve it.
Almost 3,000 miles from here in Charlotte, N.C. sits a 25-foot-tall sand sculpture of a wide-smiling President Obama. The sculpture was unpainted except for a political pin on Obama’s lapel reading “Vote Myrtle Beach.” Paid for by the Myrtle Beach visitor’s bureau, the $30,000 monument is said to represent the beach’s “last beachy excursion” of the summer.
So it’s not a several thousand-dollar tribute to Myrtle Beach’s desired 2012 presidential candidate? It would be radically different if the statue was created in honor of one of America’s greatest milestones — electing our first black president.
If Obama does not win the 2012 election, it would be appropriate to celebrate him for his historical accomplishment. A sculpted sand statue seems obsessively unnecessary for a simple summer beach bash.
I have also become completely resistant to any law signs, bumper stickers or bobble heads that may give the appearance that I put my faith into any modern-day politician. I wouldn’t mind, however, carrying a bejeweled Abraham Lincoln handbag. This is how much assurance I have in our current-day leaders.
As a teen — before I could even vote— I was one of them. You know the ones. I helped run a political headquarters in L.A. County. I proudly slapped an adhesive “Bush/Chaney” emblem to my ’97 Dodge Intrepid. And forget the sand — I would have constructed a 25-foot porcelain “Dubya.”
I had my own ways to support — no, idolize — the politicians I deemed worthy. It took almost ten years to realize the time, support and faith I had invested in a single person’s ability to redeem our country.
But now, I see things differently. Because our founders appeared so apolitical and sincere in their principles and motives, it feels almost pathetic to pay homage to present-day politicians who use money and appearance as power to drive their agendas.
I say this because men like Thomas Jefferson had a vision for modern-day America. In his documented thoughts, he speaks of the “sacred fire of freedom and self-government,” as stated in his 1809 letter to the citizens of Washington.
Ron Chernow, a prize-winning expert in colonial history, stated in a pbs.org article that the founding fathers “would be somewhat dismayed by the nature of political discourse” if they could see present-day America.
Chernow continued, stating, “These were men who had rich political visions that they passionately and extensively argued. I think that they would be dismayed by a world of politicians who are governed by pollsters and focus groups, who express themselves through 60-second ads, rather than through speeches and papers and pamphlets, and these were men who didn’t have dispositions, but they had philosophies.”
I understand America’s yearning for a strong, personable, honest leader who will see us through this drought we have endured for far too long. Even someone as widely admired as Kennedy or Reagan cannot begin to redeem our country’s debts and shortcomings.
If only the U.S. returned to its roots and understood that we the people are responsible for our own life, liberty and pursuits of happiness — our leaders are simply here to protect and serve next to us, not above.