Anne Martindell, former State Senator and Ambassador, dies

Epilogue
It’s been several years now since my graduation from Smith College, and I’ve come to see quite clearly the value of understanding the lessons of my own history.
How we perform as world citizens, how we are perceived abroad, how we act in concert with other countries —the lessons I learned by being an ambassador—are lessons difficult for some to grasp. President George W. Bush’s decision to launch a preemptive war on Iraq, for “reasons” that have since proven erroneous, has earned us the hatred of much of the Muslim world and the skepticism and contempt of many in Europe and even in our own nation. We have lost so many dedicated members of our diplomatic corps who refused to implement Washington’s foreign policy. I don’t have to be an ambassador to know that anti–American sentiment around the world has never been more pronounced, our motives more in question. With war complicated by fresh and fierce “insurgencies” each week, with casualties mounting, with no end in sight, we need the allies we’ve alienated.
What encourages me within this picture is the resurgence of positive political activity in our nation and in other nations. Senator Hillary Clinton’s impressive record and her tireless dedication to public service has made the possibility of a woman president real. Win or lose, fresh candidates like Barack Obama and John Edwards are capturing voters of every age as they address the issues of stopping the war, providing equal representation to all citizens, closing the gap between the “two Americas”—one consisting of the privileged, the other consisting of the poor and disenfranchised.
A longing for peace is forming in this country, fueled not only by the young who marched in the streets for Martin Luther King Jr. in the late 50s and early 60s, or against the Vietnam war in the 60s, but by citizens of all ages, all walks of life. With the rise of the Internet, information can be disseminated quickly and groups like Common Cause can plan rallies, raise money, gather support for or oppose pieces of legislation with lightening speed.
There are things that I regret, notably that I followed the pattern of my parents’ child rearing. One of my children said that he remembered me as a distant figure. All of them have forgiven me, and we are close now, but I did deprive them, as well as myself, of closeness at an important time.
In national terms, what can we do? We seem to be going down a path that our founding fathers would find horrifying, expanding the powers of the President while abandoning the poor on the pretext of promoting an ownership society. Worldwide, as well, we are abandoning the poor. Americans are intrinsically generous but they need to be shown the way. We need to understand that natural resources are limited, that the environment is fragile, and that lesson must be learned before it is too late. If we could all join together, we can see that there is still time for us to act.
The Carter Center, as an example, is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. Around the world, millions are starving and diseased, and many are right here in our own country.
We have the opportunity, each of us, to be well informed and to seek to understand the complexities of our time and place. We can become students of our own history—personal, political, global—learning its lessons, leaving behind the repetitive cycle of its mistakes, and continually striving for positive change. It’s never too late.