Margie Robben

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do

 

                                      September 12, 2008

           

 

I think I may be an elitist. I think I may be a “typical” white woman. I think I may cling to analyzing and intellectualization when I find things falling apart around me.  I can’t understand why people do not think the way I think. I think I may be naïve. I think I may be a dreamer.

 

I am 74 years old and near the end of my days. I thought that trying to change the world was behind me. Lately, I have been thinking about taking my sisters’ advice, “Slow down, sit by the beach with a book and sip lemonade.”

 

I have always been interested in how people interact. My curious nature led me to college at age 36 when my fifth child was ready for kindergarten. I wanted to know all there was to know about sociology and psychology and why people behave the way they do. I wanted to know what all the smart people knew.

 

At night I used the TV news programs to fall asleep. During one of those evenings while watching election results I was inspired by a young man who won a Senate seat from Illinois. I followed his progress through the years, read his books and was very impressed. He had a tongue-twister of a name: Barack Obama. 

 

Before Obama I wasn’t much interested in politics except for one brief moment when John F. Kennedy rode down Hempstead Turnpike on Long Island just before his election.  It was a cold autumn day and my husband and I along with our five children and one baby carriage ran several blocks to where his motorcade was going by. There he was, standing in an open car, hair blowing in the wind, coat opened, big smile on his face waving to us all. Those were happy days.

 

The happy days were soon followed by very sad ones. Three great American men killed: John, Martin, and Bobby.  Politics were too painful. Over and over I would ask, “Why do people kill great people?”  Is it because they are different from the ordinary? Is it because they want to “change” things?

 

Change is Obama’s campaign platform!  He wants to change and fix things that do not work. He wants change in all aspects of American life –  foreign relations, education, and economics. He wants to bring our troops home. He wants to make health care available and affordable, and make the drug companies accountable!

 

Barack Obama to me is humble, empathic, and extremely intelligent.  He has street smarts, and is hopeful, spiritual, loyal, and optimistic. He loves his family and they love him.  He has a sense of humor and an infectious wide smile and he’s slow to anger.

 

He listens to others. He can think on his feet and sees where the problems lie. He is loyal and emotionally stable.  He is wise beyond his years. He has a calm and serene temperament. He has an innate ability to know when something is right or wrong. He is a great teacher!

 

On Memorial Day this past May, I bumped into an old friend. When she saw me she rushed to greet me with a big warm hug. I was wearing my favorite patriotic sweater and my just purchased Obama hat.  She glanced at my head and shouted for all to hear, “You are a disgrace to your country, Margie!” I felt dizzy, like I was going to fall over. The word “disgrace” hit me like a ton of bricks.  The pain in my chest was incredible. I turned from her and I started to walk away and never went back.

 

I know she did not mean to hurt me.  I think she was threatened by who Barack Obama is and his message of “change”. I believe I was the victim of her fear

 

The opposing political party, like my friend, has launched their own attack against Obama. They use ridicule and distortions to attack him. They also seem to be afraid of change. McCain proposes the same platform as the President for the last eight years.

 

Younger Americans, like I was many years ago, do not have time to sort the truth from fiction. They are too busy. This can be a dangerous situation today because truth in America is a rare commodity. In all areas of life, lying and deceit is a national pastime.

 

Until November 4^th, I will continue to organize non-partisan Voter Registrations as a gift from the Obama Campaign. I am out there dragging a table and two chairs to the beaches, parks, and storefronts signing up unregistered citizens.  

 

My greatest hope is that Barack Obama wins the Presidency of the United States.

 

My worst nightmare is that fear will win out over change and that Barack Obama will lose the election and I will sadly be saying on the morning of November 5, 2008, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”.