Power and Glory

Phill Ochs song, Power and Glory, became very clear to me today as I drove from Chicago with my three kids and another 13 year old to Paw Paw, Michigan to canvass for Barack Obama. We drove from suburban Chicago through Gary, Indiana and then up through Michigan on Interstate 94 surrounded on all sides by trees that were green and red and orange and yellow, and all amazing. Then we got our assignment and drove on a small state highway to Decatur, Michigan past signs for John McCain, Obama, sheriffs, state senators and representatives and fresh fruit, and I totally connected to the lyric...

Here is a land full of power and glory
Beauty that words cannot recall
Oh her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom
Her glory shall rest on us all (on us all)

Then we got out of the car and started canvassing and other lyrics in the song started to make sense.

But our land is still troubled by men who have to hate
They twist away our freedom & they twist away our fate
Fear is their weapon and treason is their cry
We can stop them if we try

And try we did. There was the woman who told us that if we read the Bible we wouldn't be canvassing for Obama. There were the very angry Ron Paul voters and the somewhat disrespectful McCain supporters and then there was the Obama supporter who brought us 5 bottles of water for our journey.

One of the nicest stops had nothing to do with canvassing. We drove up to a fresh fruit stand that was self serve. We bought corn, green beans, tomatoes, peppers and apples and paid by putting our money in a slot. What a beautiful feeling to be trusted by your fellow country folk.

This is a land full of power and glory and I hope my kids and their friends are learning that each Shabbat as I substitute Torah and rest with American democracy in my modest attempt to make good citizens and people of them.