Rev. David Robins
The Patriots are winning again. The Red Sox valiantly attempted another comeback but were unable to finish it this year. The stock markets around the world spiraled down. We lost years, if not decades worth of retirement income. The U.S. government is partially nationalizing the major investment banks.
The political campaigns on most levels are entering the nastiest, mud-slinging, disgraceful leg of their races. We are presented with conflicting reports of voter suppression and possible voter fraud. Warnings abound that the national election could come down to one state again, and everyone who has lived through the past two elections are wondering what the 2008 version of hanging chads in Florida, and voters turned away at closed polling places in Ohio, will be this year.
Enough economic misfortune surrounds us to preoccupy us for years to come. We are feeling both bruised, wary and vulnerable. We are vulnerable because we have hope. We have hope, not that someone, some politician will save us, but that our elected leaders will ask of us, finally to gather our energies and our resources for the common good. We have hope that we will be asked to forego sacrificing anymore of our children
