Moments of History in the Making

First the great news...the country will soon be free from the terrorism and dim-witted dictatorship of the Bush Administration and the imbecile that leads it. I hear Bushwack is now signing up volunteers to go to the White House in order to help collect his shit and throw it out the closet window, at which time all of the new destitute people he has helped create can come and rummage through it. No...I made that up; that would be way too charitable for this guy, he's only in favor of helping the wealthiest among us.

Now the greater news...Americans have elected an immensely talented, intelligent, and otherwise gifted man who will lead us for the next four years, hopefully toward global vindication. Barack Obama has made lots of assertions and promises over the past several months and I hope he proves himself deserving and capable of such declarations. My prediction is after eight years of accomplished service to the nation and entire world, Obama will be considered one of the most distinguished and successful presidents in history, made even more impressive by instituting policies that recover us from international peril and being the first American of African decent to assume the highest office in the land.

I must also express my exuberance for the passing of Proposition 2 here in California, which will simply allow animals raised for food the space needed to extend their limbs and move in relative ease, a drastic improvement from the torture they were subject to before. This new law has been called the single most important victory for farm animals in U.S. history, and will undeniably pave the way for similar legislation in other parts of the nation.

I regard the election of Obama and the victory of Prop. 2 with much enthusiasm; I see these two achievements as indicators of what's going right in this country. However, even in light of such progress, I can't help but be fiercely disappointed with the results so far in terms of Proposition 8. We should not be voting to take away the basic civil rights of any Americans in the first place, but even in doing so, the race should not be even remotely as close as it remains. Millions of absentee ballots have yet to be counted, so there is still a glimmer of hope.

Those bigoted, hateful people, those maliciously ignorant and unwilling to engage in enlightened compassion, those who would have their misguided religious beliefs imposed on all of us and who stubbornly adhere to their asinine, hypocritical "values" will have their day. And people whose cognitive processes follow that similar to those who concurred slavery was a good idea, condoned Jim Crow laws, hunted down and lynched black Americans, were in favor of the disenfranchisement of women and minorities, thought it was fine to disallow white Americans to marry non-whites, didn't see anything wrong with the internment of Japanese-Americans, and whose brutal thought processes resulted in the utmost agony and murder of millions of Jews AND gays, AND the disabled, as well as others, should not rejoice in this day, but be scared shitless. The vote is not 62% to 38%, like it was in 2000 regarding a similar measure, but nearly 50% to 50%! More Californians are unwilling to proclaim that some of their fellow citizens are not deserving of the same benefits and protections that other Californians enjoy. More Californians are taking a stand for what they know in their minds and feel in their hearts is the right thing to do.

If there's one thing we learned last night without question, it's that even those who would have come from the most oppressed circumstances, complete with forced bondage and labor, and those who were once forsaken their fundamental civil and human rights, can rise to the most powerful position, not only in the nation, but in the world. Barack Obama affirms the promise of America and that same promise will not evade those of any sexuality.

And to everyone who is afraid their children will be taught it is not acceptable to discriminate against anyone based on any reason, your children WILL BE TAUGHT, whether you like it or not, that in The United States of America, even someone who comes from humble beginnings, someone whose no-so-distant ancestors would have been slaves and counted as only three-fifths of a person, someone whose inconsequential human qualities they have no power over would have made them subject to the most heinous treatment and denial of essential societal protections, can elevate themselves to the most powerful position on the face of the planet.

I, along with your intelligent children, will revel in the day we see an openly gay, lesbian, or transgendered president. I hope I live to see that day; I will experience similar feelings of elation and satisfaction I felt last night when I saw the Obama family walk onto that stage. That's what I hope for, and that day will come.