I remember the first time I met pie–quiet, unassuming, relaxing on the windowsill, absorbing the stunning vistas of its humble Midwestern roots, the refection of a poor immigrant family trying to live the dream of this land we call America.  Those were different times. Those were happier times. But friends, they are times which we can return to again. Pie saw your suffering. It saw your anger. And one day, it stood up. Yes friends, it stood up, and it called out for all to hear from the salt flats of Utah to the mountains of New Hampshire with a voice representing the pride and pain of all Americans yearning for something more, “There is another way.” Beyond the politics, the special interests, the glamor, the media, and the Dow, America still exists, and though its crust may be singed, its filling is still pure, and from that filling shall we be made whole once again.

Why do I believe in pie? Because pie believes in me. Some criticize pie for attending the picnics of everyday men and women. I call it being in touch with what truly makes this country great. From the kitchen of its humble immigrant upbringing, to bakeries and homes the world over, pie has seen what we are at our best, and at our worst. And he has one simple message. One simple solution. Stop. Stop the wars, the violence, the bloodshed, the hate, the pollution, the destruction, the selfishness, the greed–all of these things created by humans, hurting other humans every single day. Have some pie instead, and see how much better life can be.

What then? Friends, the beauty is that then, we are left with all the things that make humanity great. Under a united ingenuity and creativity the world over, our bounds are infinite. And on that glorious day, pie can go back to being just pie. Pie can sit on its windowsill and gaze off into the distance of this great land. But it is not this day, and until a time comes when all is right again, pie bears the weight of the world willingly upon its weathered shoulders. I’d have that pie and eat it too any day. Write in pie!