Democracy is a Child

I am constantly reminded that the people who appreciate this country the most are the people who live here by choice - who weren't born here. Those who were raised elsewhere and consider precious the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and our democratic system of government. Hey, it ain't perfect folks, but it is the best so far.

I was reminded of this again this morning when I received an email from my colleague and Facebook friend Alex asking me to vote for his wife's video in the YouTube competition currently running called the Democracy Challenge. Alex and his wife are Brazilian, but chose to settle in the East Bay years ago.

Alex's wife Nicole's video is a sweet metaphor comparing democracy to a child. I don't think I'll spoil the video, by restating it's words (punctuation is mine), which are set to music and a film starring her children and a momentary cameo by Alex:

Democracy is
a child
so young,
needing to be nurtured.

Fragile and Vulnerable;
Shaped by us.

This is a reflection
of you and me.

A responsibility
that is shared,
not to be neglected,
begging for attention.

A precious gift;
our hope and promise
for the future.

There are a lot of videos to vote for, and I don't care which one you vote for (sorry Alex) but THIS IS A DEMOCRACY SO GET OUT AND VOTE. The link to the competition is:

http://www.youtube.com/democracychallenge

and to view Nicole's video select "Democracy is a child"