America: Fuck Yeah!

I'm sure this post's title has already been used, and used by better folk than me. But that makes it no less true.

I have no idea how to write this all down, so this is going to be a bit disjointed.

I consider myself to be a cautious optimist. I always try to look on the bright side of life. And I hoped that Obama would be the next President of the United States of America. But I didn't think he would win. All the polls, all the studies, all of it, everything that predicted an Obama victory would be proven wrong.

I've traveled abroad. Not to all that many places, but a few. Started traveling the month after the towers fell. And I have seen the turning of the tide. The way the world felt towards the U.S. after the attack, and how it changed over the years. How America changed over the years. The embarrassed smiles of backpacking Americans. The anger they felt.

My friend from work has parents that live in the states. I've known him for over a decade now. He has always wanted to move down to the states. That's been his dream. At least that was his dream before I left for Japan. That changed. He recently drove down to visit his parents. He came back afraid.




I'm playing Obama's acceptance speech right now. Fuck that man can speak. It is amazing. I will watch presidential addresses again. Not to see the language that I love mangled and misused, but to see it elevated.

Fuck that man can speak.

Also well spoken last night: John McCain. His concession speech was the best speech he's given in quite some time. And I say that as a huge fan of the guy. But...

I think the speech he gave last night was his best, because I think it is the first speech he's actually believed in in a long time. I think that running this campaign nearly ruined McCain. The compromises and the contortions and the changes of his beliefs. It was painful to see. I feel sorry for the guy. He loves his country, he would make a great President. If his party would let him.

But I don't think he is done yet.


Now here is where I piss some people off.

My mother woke me up on September 11th with these words, "You've woken up to a worse world". I watched the television. I saw the buildings fall. In my mind I had a reply to my mother. The world is no worse now. Buildings have been blowing up every day for who knows how long. It's just that these buildings fell down in America.

I know, I'm a dick. I'm working on it.

But the world did worsen. Somehow the Bush White House squandered all the emotion surrounding that defining event (along with untold trillions of dollars, and basic human rights).

I didn't feel despair the day the towers fell, I already knew the world was a pretty shitty place (remember: I'm a cautious optimist).

But today...

Today I feel hopeful.