What It Means to Me

I have a good friend in Istanbul, a great Englishman with a keen mind and big heart. The type you can really tangle with intellectually over a beer or two. Certainly no fan of the McCain/Palin ticket, he's been sending me links to articles critical of Obama, calling them "reality checks". I love them because amidst all the jubilation they remind me of things I and others have to keep pushing for and will have to hold our new president to. For now, like most - literally - of this country, I am enjoying the moment. It doesn't mean I have forgotten that the world keeps turning, bombs keep falling, people people keep losing their lives, the planet keeps dying...

The landslide election of Barrack Hussein Obama - yeah, pause on that one and smile - to the office of the presidency will have great ramifications for the rest of the world, I suspect in ways small, large and surprising. Watching people around the world celebrate with us - the students at President-Elect Obama's former elementary school in Indonesia, his extended family in Kenya, the citizens of (no joke) Obama, Japan - has brought a tear or two to my eyes today. But, I am not sure they - you - quite understand what this election means to us.

It does not mean we are post-racial. I don't believe human beings will ever be post-racial; I think we'll always have those in our midst who are only capable of that pathetic, narrow mindset. But it does mean that the phrase, "Any little boy or girl can grow up to be president," now has new meaning.

It means that after seven years, we have a new, positive collective memory. "Where were you when...?" Until now, those three words have been reflexively followed by "on 9/11". It doesn't mean we forget that day, but it does mean that after seven years we can begin rebuilding our relationships with the rest of the world and try to proactively, diplomatically and practically alleviate the things that led to that day. Schools, clinics and functioning economies are far more powerful than guns, bombs and hate.

It means that we can start pushing back against the losses of the divisive politics of the last few decades. It means that we can start trying to bring people back together who were torn apart by lies, hate and fear. It shows that we're tired of the old ideologies and definitions. It shows that most of us aren't just desperately hungry for change, but that we want to get our hands dirty bringing about that change, we want a role in making this the country we know it can be, the "more perfect union". It means this generation has elected their JFK. I agree with Chris Matthews that public service will become cool again.

It means that the Democratic Party is now the big tent party - able to pull in African-American, Hispanic and other non-white voters while managing to improve their numbers with white voters. Footage of McCain/Palin rallies simply did not reflect the diversity of this country and the party's rhetoric certainly doesn't either. I hope this election means the moderates in that party will fight to take it back from the frightening, reactionary forces of the far right. This election means the Democrats are no longer the bracket party - clinging to the northeast and west coast. It's the start of a true nationwide party and seeds were laid in places where they are sure to grow.

It means enfranchisement is not merely a word. It means that people who never before saw their commonalities can, with a little help, find them and work together to attain shared goals. That so many of the divisions plaguing this country are mere paper tigers. It means their is hope for the idea of community in this country; that we may actually live up to the word united. It means that if all this hope and energy can be sustained and channeled, the results will be stunning.

It means that despite the fear mongering - "If he wins they'll riot!", "If he loses they'll riot!", "They'll take their revenge on us!", "He's a Muslim!", "He's friends with terrorists!" - this country did the right thing anyway. Fair weather "patriots" be damned. It means 527s and their money may not be as powerful as they thought they were. It means you can run a positive campaign and win.

It means we'll have a thinker, listener and consensus-builder running the country. It means science, reason and diplomacy can come in from the cold. It means new ideas will be elicited, not feared. I hope it means we're coming out of our low cycle of anti-intellectualism and xenophobia.

It means I am back in the U.S. and will likely dig in and stay a while; that there's fight left in this country yet.

One criticism of Obama supporters and all this is that all of us believe he can turn water to wine, walk on water, balance the budget in his first hundred days and bring about world peace in the next hundred. While there are, as with any candidate, followers with unrealistic expectations, I and most I know are thrilled to be able to follow a leader we respect, but are well-aware he's not of divine or extraterrestrial origin. We haven't drunk the Kool Aid, so to speak. I mean, we all know world peace will take six months at least. (I jest.) Is he perfect, God, the Messiah, the chosen one? No, but he is our president. And for the first time in a long time I'm very proud to say that. Will that change? We'll see.

So, give us some time to revel in this. In many ways, it has been a long time coming.


Salaam.

Post-Election Violence

My cousin's daughter, a first grader, voted in a mock election at her elementary school in Austin, Texas. She voted for now President-Elect Obama because, "he's smart." This being Texas, even in Travis County, McCain won in a landslide. On the bus that afternoon the kids were discussing the election and as they were getting off the bus, somebody asked A. who she voted for. When one second grade boy heard she voted for Obama he walked up to her and shoved her, hard. Luckily, A. has a posse. Their response when they heard? "He's goin' down." For the record, I do not support violent reprisals between political factions in elementary schools.

Salaam.

One Sad Note

UPDATE: Not entirely sure of this, but Rachel Maddow just said California will honor the same-sex marriages entered into prior to yesterday's passage of Prop. 8. I hope that's true.

California voters have narrowly approved a ban on same-sex marriage, Prop. 8. Unlike my home state (Florida) and Arizona, where voters last night approved changes to their states' constitutions to ban same-sex marriage - a superfluous move since both states had laws on the books defining marriage in ways that prevented same-sex marriage - same-sex marriage has been legal in California since June 17th of this year. As MSNBC host Rachel Maddow highlighted last night, California voters are not simply preventing something, but rather are taking an existing right away from their fellow citizens. Think about that. There is no word on what the ban will mean for the 16,000 committed same-sex couples who have married in the state since gay marriage became legal in June. I hope, but am sadly doubtful, that those unions will be allowed to stand.

Salaam.

Yes We Did!

It's just after 11pm EST and we have a new president. This is an amazingly early night, but it is over. The "skinny kid with the funny name," as he described himself, has done it. The crowds in Chicago, Kenya, and outside the White House are massive and joyous. John McCain is giving an admirable concession speech and trying to quiet the negative shouts of his supporters. Had he run a campaign more like his comments tonight, perhaps the results would have been different, at least somewhat. President Bush has called to congratulate President-Elect Obama. We're all awaiting his speech amidst a sea of people spread alongside Lake Michigan. It's a great night for all of us.

Salaam.

Trouble Already!

Just got an email from a cousin in Louisville, Kentucky, where I lived for a time, that polls have not opened in the neighborhoods of the West End because they cannot find the voting machines or poll workers. The West End encompasses most of the historically African-American neighborhoods in the city, such as Smoketown. Let's all hope election officials get this mess straightened out quickly and this isn't indicative of the kind of day we'll have in this country. Come on Louisville, you can do better!

Salaam.

Today's the Day

It's election day in the U.S. Lines are very long and hope is high within both camps. If you are a registered voter in the U.S. and you read this, please, please, be sure to vote. As long as you're in line, you have the right to cast your ballot, even if it's time for the polls to close. The estimate yesterday is that half the registered voters in Florida voted early and the numbers are high in other states.

Eighty-eight years ago, I wouldn't have been able to vote. That's not all that long ago.
I always remember that, somewhat viscerally, on election days. I also remember that less that 150 years ago, African-Americans and citizens of color were guaranteed the right to vote by the 15th Amendment to the U.S. constitution. In reality it to the Voting Rights Act of the 1960s to truly begin securing that right. Violence has been mostly replaced by dirty tricks, though violence remains. Do not think for a moment that this country is post-racial. Even in my own family, I have one relative who referred to Sen. Obama as "the black" and another who screamed "You mean you would vote for a Muslim!?" at an Obama-voting relative. Both have said if Sen. Obama wins or loses African-Americans will riot in the streets. Fear is a multi-faceted and powerful thing. However, my grandmother in Mississippi, in her 90s, is voting for Sen. Obama, which is undeniably remarkable.

If you wonder why so many of us are hopeful about Sen. Obama, read this. To all you fearful folks worried about violent African-Americans and Obama supporters, read this.

I don't cry at movies, but I still love Frank Capra's films. They help me from being completely cynical and pessimistic. So, I am not ashamed to say that watching Sen. Obama and his wife cast their ballots in Chicago this morning, their daughters at their side, I teared up.

I remember standing in a field at Georgia Tech, not long after Sen. Obama announced his candidacy, listening to him re-ignite the hopes of thousands. I remember the giddy smiles on the crowd at the conclusion of the speech. I remember turning to a young woman in hijab next to me, giggling and agreeing with her that all of us in the crowd were now totally amped up to get out and do something, to take that hope and responsibility he talked about forth and put it into action. I also remember the friends I went to the rally with lamenting that he would undoubtedly lose to Sen. Clinton in the primaries. I stand by what I said before this campaign even began: this country is more ready to elect a man of color than a woman. That doesn't excuse the faults of the Clinton campaign or take anything away from the remarkable campaign run by Obama. I truly do not think most people thought we would see this day.

Certainly, I refuse to say this is over until it is signed and certified. I'm from Palm Beach County. I still have nightmares about going to bed with Al Gore and waking up with W. Now that most of the conservative pundits, even the ones who until yesterday were trumpeting Sen. McCain's potential paths to a "Dewey Defeats Truman" moment, are admitting that it looks to be going Sen. Obama's way, I feel a little better. But, to quote Yogi Berra, "It ain't over 'til it's over."

Salaam.

The Kids Are Alright

All the touch-screen tapping pundits on television have yet to loosen the knot in my stomach. This is Palm Beach County, where voting is simply assumed to be, at best, a messy embarrassment. Look what we accomplished in 2000. However, today, I got a little boost in the waning hours of this campaign.

My mother's elementary school help a mock presidential election. Everybody on campus voted - students and staff alike. The results were as follows:

Obama/Biden: 72%
McCain Palin: 28%
(Adults alone: Obama/Biden: 69% McCain/Palin 31%)

Here's hoping Tuesday will look as good. The kids are really excited to compare their results with the state and national returns later this week, to see if "everybody else is as smart as we are," as many students put it.

Salaam.

PS: The Ten Thousand Islands and the 'Glades were beautiful this weekend. Saw sharks "fishing", had a dolphin breach and swim right off the bow of my kayak and lost count on gators and wading birds. To be back in a kayak amidst the cypress and mangroves was the real homecoming. Made some friends and received an offer to guide trips in the future. Not bad, indeed.

Welcome to Hell

On this All Hallows Eve in Florida we are beginning the steep, hellish descent into the infamous Republican 72 hour pre-election horror story. It's going to be especially unpleasant in this important battleground state, with 27 electoral votes to the winner. The only thing in mom's mailbox today? A handful of fear-mongering fliers against Sen. Obama from the Republicans and various special interest groups. Nearly ever commercial on television tonight have been political attack adds, my "favorite" featuring a menacing voice-over as the camera creeps towards a framed photo of Obama and his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Yeah, they went there. Playing the socialist/radical/leftist card? Check. Playing the race card? Check. Playing the red state versus blue state, us versus them card? Check. Playing the fear card? Check. Actual positive, policy-centered arguments supporting McCain? They'll get back to you on that. From here until Tuesday it's going to be ugly, swinging hard towards the now infamous Rove-ian tactics. How will I cope? By wading into alligator-infested waters, because big reptiles are far better creatures and make better company than political operatives. I'm going down to the south-west edge of the Everglades, one of the most unique, beautiful and most endangered ecosystems on the planet, to go kayaking in the peace and quiet of the mangroves and go slogging through the cypress and sawgrass. It's a small remainder of an ancient watershed that has so far managed to persist despite our best efforts to divert, drain and destroy it. Looking out over the expanses of sawgrass dotted with cypress hammocks I am always reminded of the subtlety of Japanese landscape paintings. The place can be so subtle that it annoys the average tourist, used to more "grand" national parks like Yosemite; they whine and complain that there's "nothing to see," completely blind to everything in front of them. We're going to a more remote area thankfully and the loudest sounds should be ospreys, herons, the sound of my paddle in the water.

I need this. Tuesday's going to be a long night. (sigh)
Salaam.
PS: Never to be forgotten, R.I.P. Studs. One of our true greats.

Go Broward!

South Florida is not a bastion of cutting-edge thinking. Maybe it's our proximity to the Bermuda Triangle, but this place can be crazy-making, especially when it comes to politics. So the story I just heard really surprised and thrilled me. The Broward County School District - the city of Ft. Lauderdale is in Broward - managed to register about 3,600 eligible students to vote and during this weeks early voting used field trip funds to bus students to the polls to give them a chance to vote. Nobody forced them to register with a particular party and the district broke no laws, so don't even try to paint it as something nefarious. Young and new voters are important groups in this election. What a great way to help students get into the process. The students interviewed, proudly showing off their "I Voted!" stickers, said the same and said they might not have registered and voted if not for their schools' assistance. One of the school board members believes Broward is the only school district in the country to have done this. I hope he's wrong about that and that Broward's success can be replicated nationwide in future elections.

Salaam.

Hope

In the U.S. these days there are more than a few things to bring out the raging pessimist in the best of us. Even many children, as much as I love them, can be a bit disappointing with their pleading that reading gives them headaches, against playing outdoors and lack of curiosity. However, not all of them are lost.

My mother, former classroom teacher and now media specialist, helped organize a civics project for third, fourth and fifth grade students at her school. Since the beginning of the school year she's worked with the classes on issues related to the election and civics. Don't freak Fox News, she's not indoctrinating! They talked about issues, candidates, how the students and their families feel they will be effected and what they want. One class hammered my mother with a slew of theoretical situations in a discussion on how you qualify for citizenship by birth: "What if your mother is a citizen, your father isn't, but you're born on an airplane over the ocean coming to the U.S.?" Students were encouraged to talk with their parents and to read and bring in articles on the campaign. Many did, filling a bulletin board with news and opinion articles they read and reported on, using comments from their parents as starting points for class discussions. Students were asked tough questions about issues and asked to think critically - something almost lost in our training to the test educational system. In recent weeks, students wrote a letter to either Sen. Obama or Sen. McCain; the choice was theirs and they were encouraged to write for themselves, not their parents. Monday the school will hold their own election. Teachers will use that to teach everything from math to history.

My mother was in charge of copying the letters (for school archives) and sending them to the two candidates. Some of the letters featured the beautifully non-linear thinking of children and didn't quite manage to make a point. Some were achingly real: "My parents can't afford gas/food/to keep me in aftercare." All were incredibly sincere and impressive for a group of elementary school students. I don't know if it means anything, but far more students wrote to Sen. Obama, based on the weight of the envelopes. A few of the letters to McCain actually attacked his position on the issues. It'll be interesting to see if the school gets any kind of response.

All the kids are interested in seeing if the results Monday come close to the results on Tuesday. To have children so involved in and aware of what's going on, asked to really consider the candidates and the issues and to watch them get so excited about the process has given me hope. I hope, in the future, we can turn education away from training and back towards critical thinking. For now, I'm pinning my hopes on these kids.

Salaam.

Ingrates!

I tell you! People these days! You risk a major international incident by flaunting international law and invading another country to go after an al-Qaeda operative to help out the neighboring country, and the operative's home country, which you also invaded and how do the folks in that initially invaded country show their gratitude? They denounce you. Imagine that. Shocking. I say you pack up your toys and go home in a snit forthwith.

Salaam.

V-O-T-E

In case you've not heard, there seems to be some sort of election in eight days. I know, I know: "Who knew?" All you have to do is vote. Simple. I've done it and so can you...well, most of you. If you can, do. Otherwise, for the next four years at least, I'll kindly ask you keep your mouth shut because you will have squandered your voice. Don't just complain about things. DO something.
And, trust me - Palm Beach County voter speaking here - every vote counts. Or, at least the supervisor of elections here got in some practice recently with a triple recount in a judicial race. Fingers crossed Florida will somehow be surpassed on electoral screw-ups this time! (sigh)

Salaam.

U.S. Raid on Syria?

UPDATE (10/29): I was a little curious about this myself...

I am very concerned about news just breaking here on MSNBC claiming that U.S. forces entered Syria from Iraq yesterday via helicopter and killed 9 people in a raid on a building in the town of Sukariya, about 10 miles from the Iraqi border. The U.S. military is not confirming anything yet. With only 9 days left until national elections here, you have to question the timing of such an operation and wonder how this might effect this could have on the election, not to mention recent Turkish-mediated Syrian-Israeli negotiations, British-Syrian talks, a host of issues in Iraq, the status of Iraqi refugees currently in Syria and the broader Middle East. Syrian officials in Damascus have called the American Charge d'Affairs in to explain the whole thing. Not sure how the Syrians will respond, but given a number of factors don't expect things to go boom. I guess somebody decided that since the Pakistanis have not responded with violence (at least not towards US troops) to our cross-boarder raids from Afghanistan, though to say they are not happy with them is a rank understatement, the same thing would work just fine in Iraq. One more time neo-cons and fans, Iraq is not Afghanistan and no country takes kindly to other countries ignoring their territorial sovereignty. Not a way to win friends and influence, people.

Salaam.

Waiting

I am not one for waiting. First, I am American and we are not known for our patience; think Happy Meals versus a two-hour Slow Food banquet. Second, I am an only child, which means Copernicus, Gallileo, et al were wrong and the Earth orbits me. Although this was significantly tempered by being raised by a teacher. In fact, I'm pretty sure the Earth orbits my mom, if only out of fear. I have certainly improved with age and am a pretty un-American-American. No, not that kind of un-American, Gov. Palin! It's not the little waits that get me; I am not one of those who hurls my drink in the face of the barista for foam on my no-foam latte. It's those waits for the big things, that whole "let go, let God," stuff.

I am waiting to hear if I've been accepted into my first choice for graduate school. I have decided to pursue a masters of social work, or M.S.W., or as I like to call it, "masters of saving the world." It's been a bit of a whirlwind month and while I didn't anticipate most of this I finally feel things coming together in a deep, tectonic way. I just returned from a visit to the school, which was awful only because now I really want to go to school there and not being accepted would actually hurt. I met with many professors in the department, who were incredible and opened me up to thinking about potential directions I'd not considered. It felt right, felt like the place to bring together my energy, experiences and passions. I should hear by mid- to late-November and would begin in January. I have plenty to keep me busy for now, but it's still waiting and it still eats me up. Fingers crossed....

Salaam.

Thank you, Colin Powell

Thank you, Gen. Powell for your thoughtful endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama, not just as a citizen who voted for Obama, but as an American very troubled by the potential future of her country and the rest of the world. What I appreciated most was your pushback on the dangerous and divisive fear-mongering from the right: the whispers about Obama's upbringing, religious beliefs and professional associations. In expressing that the truly correct answer to "Is he a Muslim?" - not "No, he's not," but "So, what if he is?" - you pulled back the curtain shielding an ugly crowd of bigots that has been left untouched by so many and you honored the lives and faith of countless Muslims who live in this country. And thank you for reminding us that not all the graves at Arlington National Cemetery bear a cross or star of David, for remembering that Americans of all faiths have given their lives for this country, that no political party or ideology can lay claim to patriotism.

Salaam.

PS:If you missed Powell on Meet the Press Sunday, be sure to hunt it down on the internet and watch the interview for yourself. Meaningful and moving to say the least.