Invocation to the Democratic State Convention

Invocation delivered by Rep. Stan Moody to the Maine Democratic State Convention at the Augusta Civic

Center, Friday, June 2, 2006.

My friends, we come together tonight mindful that a spirit of fear threatens our nation.... and our great State of Maine. It is a fear promoted by the very people who claim that they have a direct line to God.

It is a fear that pits neighbor against neighbor, citizen against government and religious zealot against people of good will.

It is a fear born out of the bankruptcy of ideas... bankruptcy of values....bankruptcy of common sense and civil decency.

From the Scriptures we hear the ringing battle cry, "Perfect love casts out fear." And from the dark days of American history, we hear the echo of Franklin Delano Roosevelt reminding us that "…we have nothing to fear but fear itself." And from a Baptist minister in Montgomery, AL, we hear the marching song, "We shall overcome!"

It is our faith and our hope that transcend the decaying institution of fear and its "nabobs of negativism."

We are Democrats…We know about loving our neighbor, especially when that neighbor is somebody whose lifestyle may be different from ours. We are Mainers…We know about personal and economic hardship.

But what brings us here tonight is this:

We are Americans.
Our freedom to assemble;
our freedom to speak;
our freedom to vote.....
they all form the hallowed ground of our American life.

Our petty political squabbles over welfare and taxes are minor compared to that one overarching point: We are Americans.

As Americans, we embrace the founding ideals that we are all equal under the law; that we are free to conduct ourselves with minimal government intrusion; that we are free to disagree without being condemned as unpatriotic; that we are free to worship as we choose, or not at all; that we are free to care for and care about each other; and that we have a government that respects and abides by those freedoms. That is what this convention is all about.

The Prophet Micah asks, "What does the Lord require of you but that you do justice, show mercy and walk humbly with your God?" If we are to "do justice," we must ourselves be just.
If we are to "show mercy" we must ourselves be merciful. If we are to "walk humbly with our God," our god must be more than a carving over the courthouse door, Or a phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance, Or a sectarian prayer in public school.

If we are to promote freedom, we cannot ourselves deny freedom to those whose lifestyles and beliefs may be unorthodox.

If we are to wage war on terrorism, we cannot ourselves become agents of terror and repression.

If our nation is to stand as a beacon of inclusion, equality and unity, we cannot exclude, debase and divide our own citizenry.

Yes, we CAN defeat those who seek to do us harm... But first, we must win the battle as champions of freedom and democracy at home so that we can lead the world by example...and not by exporting our fears.

Tonight...let us not look into the flames of perdition for our judgment… but look instead to the Light of Inspiration as our Hope. Our hope to become the people... and the country... that we believe ourselves to be.

Let us pray to the God of Inspiration for wisdom and humility.