I am an American Progressive

by: Nancy Cronk

07/02/09 @ 03:59:38 PM MDT

I am a woman. I am a man. I am a child.

I believe in equality for all. I defend a woman's right to make decisions about her own body. I fight for a child's right to be protected, educated, nurtured and loved. I fight for a man's right to be home with his children after their birth, and to take time off work for his kids to raise them, if he wants to do that. I fight for each family to form itself based on love and commitment.

I fight for the young to be given a chance to make it in this world, not saddled by the debts of previous generations. I fight for the old to be respected, cherished, and cared for, until their very last breath on this Earth.

I am Christian. I am Muslim. I am Hindu, Jewish, Unitarian, Buddhist and Atheist. I have my own unique faith that is entirely personal. I am spiritual and I am inter-spiritual, and sometimes, I just don't know.

I am my brother's keeper, and my sister's too.  And they are mine.

I believe in a Higher Power. I call the source of creation G-d, Hashem, or Allah, or by one of many other names. I believe in the power of people working together. I believe in Science, and the wondrous miracles of nature. I work to protect the rights of my neighbors who do not share my faith to worship as they wish, or not at all, as long as I am allowed to do the same. I believe there is more than one path to being the best person each of us can be. I am not threatened by the faith practices of others. I believe in the principles of the founding Fathers, as articulated by Thomas Jefferson. I believe in the separation of church and state.

I am gay, I am straight, I am bisexual and I am transgender.

I fight for the rights of each American to be the person they are, expressing their beauty and individuality in any way that makes them happy. I believe each person has a right to choose the person they love, and to live with that person, sanctified by the religion of their choice, or not at all. I believe people who love each other have the right to define their family as they choose, and may include their beloved partners in their wills. I believe people in hospitals should be surrounded by their loved ones, whether those loved ones are legally "approved" or not.

My ancestry is Irish and Dutch, German, and Iranian, Australian, Canadian, Native American and Ethiopian. I am Mexican, African, Chinese and Filipino. I come from every country on the planet, and I bring with me my own beautiful language, culture and traditions.

My skin color is tan, mocha, beige, cocoa, copper, butterscotch, almond, wheat, oatmeal, butter, and olive. My eyes are round, oval, and crescent. I AM BEAUTIFUL!

I honor my own family's traditions, and those of the people around me. I enjoy learning about other cultures, and celebrate them with joy, for our country's beauty is in her diversity. The flags of other countries do not bother me, for I know we are all one family, regardless of the location of our births.

I am International. I weep for my brothers and sisters in other lands who suffer, and I do what I can to help. I welcome the poor, the downtrodden, the huddled masses to my borders, knowing each person has something to offer, if only given a chance. I know I have more when I give more. I know we are richer when we work together. My country is stronger when she leads by example, and the respect of the world's nations is important to me.

I love the planet Earth, and I will do my best to take care of it. I love animals and believe they have a right to be here, just as I do. I am a steward of this land, and I have no right to destroy it. I will do everything I can to preserve it for future generations. We do not own this land, we are borrowing it from our children and our grandchildren.

I love my country. I know that its' history has included times of clarity and times of darkness. In the end, it is our ideals that are worth fighting for, not our land, nor the culture of just a few. We fight for equality for all, for tolerance, for acceptance, for civil rights and for diversity. We fight for peace. We fight with our words, our hearts, and our actions, doing everything we can before resorting to violence, and only then when defending our highest values.

I know the path to peace includes education, diplomacy, and occasional compromise.

I am a Democrat and a Republican and an Independent. I believe in the Constitution of the United States and all of the rights it guarantees for every man, woman and child. I will work hard for Representatives who will stand up for all that is right about America, and who have the strength of character to resist the temptations of greed and power.

I believe in the future of my country, and know my vision is possible, but only if we work together, never allowing the skeptics and the nay-sayers to divide us. We are the UNITED States of America.

I AM an Americam Progressive.

~ Nancy Cronk

Nancy Cronk is the founder of Piney Creek Progressives, InterfaithOfficiants.com and AnimalChaplains.com.  She is the Democratic Chair of SD 27 and hosts Drinking Liberal-ly Centennial every Monday evening at Bistro Al Vino.