Dear President Obama:
I campaigned for you relentlessly, showing no mercy to those who would seek to have you defeated. I wore my blue wristband and my “Hope” t-shirt proudly from the end of 2007 to 2008. I kept the “Audacity of Hope” on my nightstand and read a bit each night. You said that nowhere but in America would your story be possible. You said that you believed that the underdog always had a chance against the Goliaths of the world and that the system would never be changed until those who sought that change stood up and refused to back down, even when the road would be tough and the march long.
As I write this letter, my friend is messaging me and telling me that at 11:00 in Tehran, the night is filled with shouts of “Death to Dictators” and “Allah-o-Akbar”. The people of Iran refuse to back down from their struggle for change.
I’m thinking now to those strong words uttered in front of a massive crowd on a jubilant Chicago night in 2008 as you gave your victory speech. You said, “To those — to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.”
The unwavering belief of the American people in the above beliefs is what makes America great. This belief in opportunity, liberty, democracy and above all, unyielding hope; this belief is what made your unlikely story possible, Mr. President.
This morning the House of Representatives stood out in a strong majority vote in favor of the people of Iran and their desire to live in a country that follows the same set of ideals that we, as Americans, hold dear to our hearts. I am not surprised by this bi-partisan show of support. No matter which side of the liberal or conservative fence one sits on, it is undeniable that an entire people, millions of human beings, are campaigning for the very ideals that you renewed here in America: Change, hope, and belief in a system of government that is representative of the desires and progress of its people.
In 1979, Iranian radicals held American embassy personnel hostage for 444 days. In Iran, millions are now marching in peaceful protest against a regime that has been holding it’s own people hostage for the past 30 years. They are tired of being beaten and jailed for the way they dress or the people whose hands they hold. They are tired of being censored in what they write and say. They are tired of corruption and the squandering of their nation’s oil wealth. They are tired of the mismanagement of their economy. They are tired of oppressive laws that hold women as second class citizens and religious minorities as less than human in the eyes of the law. They are standing for peace, with their green-tinted fingers held proudly in the air. Green, not for religion, but for renewal and rebirth. They are standing against terrorism, against ignorance, against religious fundamentalism.
These aren’t a few opposition voices here and there, Mr. President. This is a mass-scale movement. These are people who are awake after being in a sleepy haze for so long, like the Rip Van Winkle of my childhood bedtime stories. These awakened Iranians are finally realizing they hold their future in their own hands and they are hoping to become the change they seek to see in their world.
I understand that you have spent your campaign voicing your opposition to those who would seek to impose democracy and the will of America above the national sovereignty of other states. I understand you are worried about the nuclear issue and want to tread lightly in case you have to deal with Ahmadinejad in the future. I understand that in the end, America will only meddle when it’s in his benefit and that there are strong voices within your advisors who are urging you to stay silent. I understand you don’t want to “meddle” and be wrong with the US was wrong in Iran of the 1950’s.
But, then again, to hell with silence. America has been silent before; on the very issue of the Holocaust, and that is one of the shameful moments in history that we will never make up for. Sometimes, sitting on the fence is worse than taking a stand. Getting off that fence and choosing a team to root for, even in words along, may be what makes or breaks a movement’s momentum.
You have the power to give a nation the support of a man who has once been an underdog but who now holds the highest seat of power in the world. Your words have the power to change this insane world. One speech in favor of those people who believe America is good and true may be all it takes to renew their fight. Why are you unable to speak up against a regime who seeks to destroy you, to export terrorism, to harm its own peope?
THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA IS ABOUT and more important, this IS NOT WHAT BARACK OBAMA IS ABOUT.
I voted for you because I believed you were going to bring justice to this world.
Please, don’t let me down.
With everlasting love and faith,
Your #1 Fan
