What Makes Us Great

It's come and gone. Months and months of TV ads, flyers, phone calls and knocks on the door have culminated  in an historic event. It's hard to quantify what this means to this country and to the people of this country, but I do know what it means to me. As cliché as it might sound, I do feel as though the majority of the country's voice will be heard. I really don't believe that George Bush had this country's best interests in mind. I don't believe he wished it ill will and I tend to believe that he's a good father and a good husband... better than most perhaps. But I feel as though he was more concerned with the perception that the United States was a vibrant, healthy nation rather than it actually being one.

Four years ago, it was more about seeing things through and finishing what you'd started. To this day, I would still not vote for John Kerry. Maybe it's because he looked like Herman Munster... either way, I made my choice and I was able to see W "see things through"... right into the damned dirt.

I oftentimes let my temper get the best of me. I'm quick to blurt words that I'm not entirely sure are true... words that I'm not sure I even mean. My mom has a saying hanging on the fridge back in Piqua that resonates with me, and I'll try to get it as close as I can remember:

Words said in anger will be the greatest speech you ever regret.

I thought McCain grew angry towards the end of the campaign. I didn't like it. I don't like it when I get angry. So to see the patient way Obama went about the debates and his speeches was exemplary. Sometimes you have to stop screaming and search for that moment of clarity. Erica has certainly done her part to help me with that. There are so many issues that this country addresses on a daily basis... the economy, the environment, illegal immigration, etc, etc. Ignorance should not be one of them. It bothers me to see people trying to pass laws mandating English as our only language. Have you read studies about the beneficial effects of learning a second language? No, you can't stop screaming about how this is your country. After you find out about how challenging your brain by learning a second language can fight off the effects of Alzheimers, then maybe you should flip through some factual history books to find out how many Native Americans we had to murder in order to make this our land. It bothers me that people waste their time finding ways to rob others of their freedom and happiness because their beliefs tell them that a gay union isn't right. No one's asking anyone to agree with it. But give a man the right to be next to his partner when he dies. Allow him to sort through their shared life and do with it as he sees fit. Allow him the tax benefits that any heterosexual union enjoys. So we waste our time with these issues while children are abused and millions starve. Congrats. It's good to know you've made a point. As for oil, what part of the word "nonrenewable" is so hard to understand? We're smarter than combustible engines. We're smarter than Joe the Plumber, who, according to his tax concerns, endorsed the wrong candidate.

I can't say I've ever been big on the religion that I grew up with... Catholicism. Any religion, at the heart, provides a base for a good moral society. My biggest problem is that we've taken it too far as humans. I think that Jesus was a man that said and did amazing things, but I think the most amazing of them all was to call on everyone to love their neighbor as themselves. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Simplistic living. I see that in Obama. I see someone that just wants to help his neighbor. I see someone that cares about the people in his community as much as he cares about his own family. It's commendable and that's why I voted for him.

Regardless, Election Day was something to behold. The anticipation created an air of excitement. People were out and about... cheering on their candidates. It's uplifting and it gave me a little hope that we're all better than the hate radio... the scare tactics. We're not a snarling dog anymore, snapping and biting at what we don't understand. We can address our problems and the world's problems with patience, commitment and sincerity. But then again, maybe that's too much to ask of a politician.