2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Chronicle
Wellstone's ideals are still everlasting and positive
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 1
Five years ago Oct. 25, as I sat in Atwood tabling for progressive political candidates, I received a phone call telling us to go to the TV, back when CNN was the channel of choice in the Quarry.
My friend couldn't tell me what it was about. His voice was muttered, and I could tell it was serious.
As soon as we walked downstairs into the Quarry, the tears started falling while Wolf Blitzer announced U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone's plane had crashed, and there were no signs of survivors.
Wellstone was in the midst of a harsh campaign, facing votes in the Senate which tested his conscious, his morals and his political future.
Five years ago, Paul Wellstone made a courageous vote against going to war in Iraq. "Authorizing the pre-emptive, go-it-alone use of force now, right in the midst of continuing efforts to enlist the world community to back a tough new disarmament resolution on Iraq, could be a costly mistake for our country."
Wellstone was right, and five years later it couldn't be more relevant.
Wellstone believed politics were about the improvement of people's lives, and from the beginning, he lead grass roots efforts to make sure that was true.
He was never afraid to go against supposed popular opinion to take on special interests, as he made sure the "little fella, not the Rockafella" was truly being represented.
We may have lost one of the greatest voices to enter the Senate, but we did not lose his message; "The future will not belong to those who sit on the sidelines. The future will not belong to the cynics. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Stand up, keep fighting, get organized, participate, vote!
Attend your caucus Feb. 5, and let your voice be heard; this is what he would want us to do.
I know I will, as I truly hope you will, too.
Zachary Dorholt
SCSU grad student
My friend couldn't tell me what it was about. His voice was muttered, and I could tell it was serious.
As soon as we walked downstairs into the Quarry, the tears started falling while Wolf Blitzer announced U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone's plane had crashed, and there were no signs of survivors.
Wellstone was in the midst of a harsh campaign, facing votes in the Senate which tested his conscious, his morals and his political future.
Five years ago, Paul Wellstone made a courageous vote against going to war in Iraq. "Authorizing the pre-emptive, go-it-alone use of force now, right in the midst of continuing efforts to enlist the world community to back a tough new disarmament resolution on Iraq, could be a costly mistake for our country."
Wellstone was right, and five years later it couldn't be more relevant.
Wellstone believed politics were about the improvement of people's lives, and from the beginning, he lead grass roots efforts to make sure that was true.
He was never afraid to go against supposed popular opinion to take on special interests, as he made sure the "little fella, not the Rockafella" was truly being represented.
We may have lost one of the greatest voices to enter the Senate, but we did not lose his message; "The future will not belong to those who sit on the sidelines. The future will not belong to the cynics. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Stand up, keep fighting, get organized, participate, vote!
Attend your caucus Feb. 5, and let your voice be heard; this is what he would want us to do.
I know I will, as I truly hope you will, too.
Zachary Dorholt
SCSU grad student