September 27, 2003 - My grandmother used to crochet. She would sit and rock on the porch as the breeze cooled a summer evening. The heels of her sensible shoes beating a tattoo on the floor as her fingers flew transmuting the dross of a skein of thread into the delicate lace of an every growing circlet. Hour by hour, day by day, stitch by stitch that circle of lace would grow.

Occasionally that rhythm of the rocking would cease as she paused, held her work up to the golden light of the setting sun, examine her work and spotting a defect undetected by the child who watched her she would pull out a few stitches and then resume her rocking and her work anew. Day by day and stitch by stitch she worked around and around the circle always at the edge until as the evening light faded with October she had fashioned a tablecloth for the round oak table on which she would serve Thanksgiving dinner in November.

I thought on my grandmother today and how like the work of government was my grandmother’s tablecloth. Like her we work stitch by stitch, day by day, and year by year always working at the edges as we fashion a cloth of law to cover the ills of our society. From time to time we must hold our work up to the glaring light of history, seek out the failed stitches and tear them out. We then commence anew; working always at the edges fashioning an expanding cover of delicate lace.

I say “we” because in our Democratic Republic the work of government is the work of the people – all of the people. The shape of our political tablecloth is not dictated by a select few occupying the seats of power in which we have installed them. They took their places on our authority and serve in their offices only so long as we, monitoring their work, are satisfied that the stitches they cast are well made. From time to time we have the opportunity – not we have the duty – examine with a keen eye the quality of their stitches; tear out their failures and begin anew with new servants casting new stitches.

We are come to such a time and as we hold the growing circle of government up to the light, see the defective work; and begin to rip it out. Economic failure cost Americans 3.1 million jobs. Economic failure pushed 1.7 million Americans into the quagmire of poverty. The national unity engendered by the vicious attack of September 11th has been dissipated by a divisive and unyielding domestic policy. The international support of former foes and faithful allies has been squandered by an arrogant and aggressive militaristic foreign policy.

The faulty stitches are plain and evident; the lace of our political tablecloth is knotted and deformed. We must tear them out and begin anew in November 2004. It is our right and it is our patriotic duty.