25 Hours; 5 Minutes...

 A story was relayed to me some years ago by a woman who lived in Newark, NJ and went to a political event (maybe it was rally?), where a young man, who did not live in Newark, was speaking.  He was running for mayor and according to this woman, was somewhat heckled or talked over.  She, being the woman that she was, told them to settle down and let the man speak.  She wasn't for or against this man, she just wanted to hear what he had to say.  

The other day, that man, who did become mayor of Newark, and who has since become a Senator for the state, spoke on the senate floor for an amazing 25 hours and 5 minutes.  There were no bathroom breaks (which amazes me), he never sat down (he would not have been allowed) and there were no real pause in his speech (fellow senators were allowed to ask questions [although they seemed more like comments] which could take several minutes, which gave the senator a bit of a break, as did a brief break for the senate's morning prayer).  

I've been impressed by this man before.  I voted for him.  And I hope the country will remember what Cory Booker did.

Was it a stunt? He's very well-schooled in publicity. When he was mayor, there were several "stunts" that he did such as going out to shovel snow for people who were shut in after a storm and camping out in a tent to bring attention to the plight of the homeless in the city. Yes they could have been considered "stunts", but they bought attention to problems. Did they all get solved? No. But he brought things to the forefront and some changes were made.  The world needs awareness, the world needs POSITIVE change. 

He spoke, mostly eloquently, for hours on end. He read letters from some of his constituents who are concerned with the way our country is being run. He talked about leaders and leadership.  He shared his concerns. Concerns that many Americans have. Concerns that many Americans feel have not been addressed. He let us know that our voices were heard by him.  We were heard.  Is anyone else listening? 

What will this do? Will it encourage those who serve in our government to actually do something? To think of this constituents rather than themselves? To be brave and face tyranny? To remember that America is supposed to be a democracy where all men and women are created equal. To point out how our current administration seems to be more focused on television ratings then caring for the people who voted for them. 

Will his 25 hours on the Senate floor make any difference? The cynic inside me says probably not. But there is a small part of me that has hope.  The things perhaps, just maybe, we will wake up from this nightmare. That we will actually do something. That Congress will do what it's supposed to do and care for its people.  That laws and due process will actually be followed as they are supposed to. That the Constitution is not just a piece of paper, but something to be upheld and revered. 

Senator Booker was unafraid as he spoke. I wish I could be that brave. I need to be that brave. We all need to brave to stand up and speak the truth.  Because this is MY country; this is YOUR country.  Forget making America great (I don't think we ever really were), let's just make us trustworthy and respected. 

It's time to stop the show and be what we should be, one nation with liberty and justice for all.