A lot of posts lately have dealt with the presidential campaign and the up-coming election. Listening to Eva Cassidy reminded me of why elections are so important—to elect a government that will not interfere with me listening to magnificent works of the greatest musicians—so I can go on the uncensored internet and find the most touching picture I have ever seen in my life—so I can be free to express myself.

I was recently talking to Prescott telling him how excited I was to move back to Germany this summer. He asked me if there were any qualities of the US that I cared for. After a laundry list of answers including going to a library that actually has books in it and the ability to wear as much make-up as I want without being considered a prostitute—I realized that my time in Germany made me really appreciate all of the freedoms I have as an American.

I am reminded of my former East German friend’s father’s affinity for The Who. There is The Who memorabilia all over the house. The guy has photo albums of concerts, autographed photos, vinyl records, and everything else you can imagine. I asked my friend what the deal was with The Who stuff—and she told me that The Who was her father’s connection to freedom. He had to smuggle the records into East Germany and if he was caught listening to the music—who knows what would have happened. Once the Berlin Wall came crashing down, the first thing her dad did was go to a The Who concert—finally. And here I am tonight listening to one of the greatest musicians—Eva Cassidy—without consequence.

In the next election, instead of focusing on whether our next president is faithful to his or her spouse, let’s think about their faithfulness to the institutions of the United States. Does he or she respect the dreams of freedom of our founding fathers and the unfinished reality of our American lives today?

President John Adams said, “I must study politics and war, so that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”

With their sacrifices, I am allowed not just to be human, but to be a person—listening to my favorite songs tonight.

Labels: eva cassidy, faithful, freedom, segen