Editor,
The day after the Sept. 11 attacks, headlines around the world read, "We are all Americans." This defining moment united people from all races, nations and creeds in one solidified voice against violence.
Regretfully, the U.S. administration, led by President Bush, has since completely and utterly destroyed pro-American sentiments throughout the globe by waging an illegitimate war in Iraq.
Bush rejected the opportunity to unite the world against a common enemy that history had thrust before him. This president has harmed U.S. foreign policy to such an extent that generations of Americans to come will suffer prejudice and retaliation.
I put my heart and soul into the John Kerry campaign in 2004. The fact that Bush was re-elected that year was the most embarrassing event since Al Gore, the Congress and we, the American people, allowed him to steal the White House by disenfranchising thousands of African-American voters throughout the state of Florida in 2000.
Today, we stand at the crossroads of the future. This time is different. I believe that we will make history by electing Sen. Barack Obama as the first-ever African-American president. He will make the changes necessary for our nation to reclaim its promise. Electing Obama will restore the respect of the world for the U.S. by proving that we are a tolerant, open-minded and progressive country.
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Only after more than 200 years of a small number of elite, white males running our country will we live up to the true meaning of our nation's fundamental creed, that all men are created equal.
I can relate to Obama because he is African-American and he is white. He is a mix like I am - a Mestizo. This is the true glory of the melting pot that is America. We are all races, cultures and religions combined. Our stories would not be possible anywhere else but here.
However, we cannot live this dream without action from all of us. Obama frequently refers to the fact that we are all connected. "E pluribus unum" - out of many, one. My decisive factor for choosing Obama over Sen. Hillary Clinton is that he has not accepted donations from the lobbying sectors of the political machine. Despite lacking big-business money from companies such as Wal-Mart and the endorsements from heroes of mine like Antonio Villaraigosa, Obama has relied on grassroots support from people like you and me.
Collectively, we can accomplish victory in November. Please hear my call to volunteer, canvass, phone-bank or donate for the campaign. Our future and the future of America depend on it.
Francisco "Paco" Perez
UNM student
