On Tuesday, November 7th, 2000, an extraordinary thing happened in the election to vote for the next President of the United States. A country sits at a stalemate, as votes are being recounted in the state of Florida, to decide our next leader for four years. The voter turnout has confirmed in one way or another that we are a country split down the middle. A few thousand votes will determine who occupies the White House next.

Yes, I know Democracy has spoken, which is a wonderful thing, but once we peel back the covers some disturbing situations are starting to reveal themselves. We as a society have splintered ourselves into so many subgroups that we are finding it harder and harder to see ourselves as a whole. It falls upon the next President to bring us all together. The divisions have grown too great between us all. The “Us” against ”Them” philosophy must stop. We are a country made up of many different religions, races, etc. There is strength in our differences, but this strength can only solidify when we pool our resources together.

Financially America is pretty sound…..there is always more work to be done for those who have been left behind. Morally we are at a crossroads. There are good Democrats, and there are good Republicans, and yes, good Green Party members, etc. All with their own points of view on what is best for America. At some point common ground must prevail. If one looks back over the course of the past few years it is no surprise that we have arrived at this point in time. The polarizations of the citizens of the United States has been sad to watch.

Tonight I paid a visit to my local mall, made up of all different kinds of people. The look in the eyes said it all. Many of us are exhausted, and disgusted that we have allowed ourselves to believe that we are all that much different. An American is an American….period. We have the best form of government in the world, but underneath the radar much is going unobserved. Last night as the election results came in the news networks first said that they had called the state of Florida for Al Gore. Then, about an hour later, they retracted that statement and put the state back in the “undecided” column.

At around 2 in the morning they announced that George W. Bush had won. Then, an hour later they retracted that statement and said the election is “too close to call.” These are the people that give us our information daily. The people we trust to tell us the truth. What are they telling us today? SORRY. Well, sorry is just not good enough. A number of analysts were horrified that the media had projected so early the outcome of Florida. As one guest on Larry King Live said “This is outrageous. We are talking about Democracy here.”

Whoever the next President is, he’s got some very serious and hard work ahead of him. The most important job of his term will not be to take polls, check the stock market, go to as many fundraisers as he can, etc. It will be to unite the United States.

I love America……it’s differences, and it’s similarities. I am just so tired of so many groups with their own agenda working to keep us all apart. The days of fear must be over. God Bless America, and God Bless the next President.
love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2000 Jennifer Avalon