Once again, I bring you news about an online petition.
I was able to watch Barack Obama's acceptance speech on television the other night. To call it inspiring is probably a master stroke of understatement. Now comes the tough part, though, which is living up to those words. This online petition by AVAAZ is asking him to do just that. AVAAZ describes itself this way:
Avaaz.org is a new global web movement with a simple democratic mission: to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people everywhere want.
Across the world, most people want stronger protections for the environment, greater respect for human rights, and concerted efforts to end poverty, corruption and war. Yet globalization faces a huge democratic deficit as international decisions are shaped by political elites and unaccountable corporations -- not the views and values of the world’s people.
AVAAZ: About Us
They chose the name "AVAAZ", they say, because "'Avaaz' means 'Voice' in many Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European languages."
They're trying to gather a million signatures in the next 48 hours. I think it would be just splendid if the majority of those signatures were Americans, don't you? Especially if those Americans all wrote something like:
"We realize that many people in Washington, DC will tell you that the change you speak of, the change we want, is impossible. We sent you there because we think otherwise"
Like most politicians, Obama will only live by his words if we tell him, and the rest, that we want them to. Over the next few years, that will be one of our tasks.
(h/t Dana at ETEV)
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