Times, They Are a Changin'

Yes, I forgot to post to my blog yesterday. Between work, karate, and knitting, I had an utter brain fart when it came to keeping up with NaBloPoMo. So today I'll try to remember to post twice. Operative word: try.

So here's a picture of our new president. I have such high hopes for our country now that Dubya is in his final days (although Buddha only knows what kind of trouble he might cause in the next couple months). I know that it takes the president, House, and Senate to run our country. However, the president sets the tone for us as a country, both at home and around the world.

Under the so-called leadership of Dubya and crew, our country has become truly hated and despised. They have caused hardship and untold suffering. They have damaged our relationships with our former allies to such an extent that I wonder if we can repair them. They have eroded the principles on which our country was founded, claiming it was necessary to "protect" us. They have fostered an us/them mentality around religion, making Christianity the de facto top dog, and every other faith suspect. They've done everything possible to make this country less of/by/for the people and more of/by/for "me and mine."

Barak Obama is not a miracle and he's no miracle worker. On the other hand, he's a good man. I believe that he will do the best he can for our country and will help heal the recent hurts and those that reach back to the "rum to molasses to slaves" days. He is book smart and people smart. He's known struggle and pain, as well as triumph and joy as a biracial man raised by his grandmother. This man hasn't had any family ties to trade on; he's made his way with the help of others, but without anyone smoothing the way for him, a la Dubya.

I have very high hopes for the coming years, not the least of which is that a person's skin color will become irrelevant when measured by the content of our character.