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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

But Let Us Begin


This is the last post of the fourth year of Earthfamilyalpha. And I suspect that the fifth year will be different. As I look at the counter today, I see that in the last few days, thanks to sites like Buzzflash and Crooks & Liars, EFA has experienced 800 or so page views a day.

That's not a lot in the world of the big sites like Daily Kos or Eschaton or Talking Points Memo, in fact, its downright tiny. However, when I look at the visitation logs of EFA, I'm always amazed at the quality and the variety of visitors we have. Often readers drill down into the 1300 or so stories and literally read for an hour.

Our international readership is higher than most sites, with over 15% a day coming from Europe, the Mideast, a few from China, a handfull from Mexico, and a smattering from everywhere else. I have always found it truly remarkable and encouraging to find that someone from Hong Kong is reading something I wrote at 3:00 AM in the morning perhaps a few minutes after publishing.
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It's the magic of blogging and the internet.

The thesis of this site has been, and still remains this:

With the advent of advanced global communication, new forms of social contract can be created which transcend the geographic state. These new cybercoops or cyberstates will bring humankind to higher levels of cooperation and understanding.

And it gives me great pleasure to know that these words have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in the last four years.

As humankind continues its awkward dance into the new morning light that is ahead, I am relieved that one of humankind's greatest achievements has come home to the great truths on which is was founded.

The election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States is a powerful event. There will be millions of people in Washington come this January 20 who will give testimony to that fact. All over the world, people of all walks of life, of all ethnicities, from every political bent will welcome the return of grace and intelligence to the halls and houses of the most powerful collective group on Earth.

And as we face the challenges of Climate Change, Resource Depletion, economic disorder and social and environmental injustice, many will harken to a time when another young president spoke wisely and eloquently to a people eager to move positively and courageously, away from War and towards the Hope of Peace.

"The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution.

Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. "( clip)

"Now the trumpet summons us again -- not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need -- not as a call to battle, though embattled we are -- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" -- a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind?

Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. (clip)

All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, not in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet.

But let us begin. "


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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:52 PM

    November 19, 2008

    If the goal is to benefit the child humanity, today's blog, But Let Us Begin, is alone enough to justify all the years of effort that its daily publication has required. "The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life." The hope and the challenge could not be better stated.

    One of the greatest values of EFA is the platform it provides to further the common interest of all life on the planet. Your work is appreciated and is to be applauded.
    Dan

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Dan, your kind words and encouragement are greatly and warmly appreciated.

    ReplyDelete