Best Seller

I write you from a time that I still could. I've read enough of the dystopian future to know this too will possibly get shut down. Freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom in general is about to go underground. Today George Orwell's novel 1984 became a #1 best seller. Everyone wants to be prepared for the propaganda machine. For the double talk (Newspeak in the novel), for the authorities to tell us to deny the things we see with our eyes. This dystopian present is for the birds though. If I had my choice of fiction to live in it would be the Star Trek one where we've all learned to get along and are exploring space having philosophical discussions about interfering in under-developed cultures... sadly here we are. Hey Big Brother... here's my blog.

Election Day 2008

The day began with a knot in the pit of my stomach...

Berkeley was so covered in political posters it's shockingly festive and a big waste of paper.

I actually voted early but kept my sticker to avoid hearing everyone ask "did you vote?" "are you gonna vote?" "go vote" "vote no on this" "vote yes on that"
Dude! I did already... Ya Vote...


There is a movie theater in Oakland that always has Super-Liberal messages printed on the marquee this is what it said on election day;
I worked backstage for as long as I could, I kept returning to the computer as results came in, one state for Obama, one for McCain, electoral vote counts, hit refresh.... Obama's doing ok but I still think the Republicans own this country... finally I find that I am too much of a nervous wreak to stay any longer and head over to the election party in Oakland.  As I finally found parking John McCain began to speak on the radio... to give his... wha? 

I sat in my car rapt.  

Finally I managed to tear myself away from the radio with the thought that oh my G*d we just won... I entered my friend's house where I knew all of two people but it didn't matter.  I hugged every last stranger in the place...
A toast; To an intelligent president!  To Diplomacy! To Hope!




After dancing the electric slide in the street, we headed down to Lake Meritt, where the crowds of jubilant people were gathering. There was a lot of honking and shouting "OBAMA!"


The feeling was utter euphoria. There is No Way that the Presidency is going to live up to the hopes we all had glimmers of on election night... but after the disillusionment we've been having over Bush, racisim, the economy, our international relations, Iraq... this night was a warm relief.

The President of the United States of America

"This victory alone is not the change we seek, it is only the chance we need to make that change, and that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you; without a new spirit of service a new spirit of sacrafice, so let us summon a new spirit... of patriotisim, of responsability, where each of us resolves to pitch in, and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other" --president elect Barack Obama


Senator Barack Obama does not agree with all of my ideals, and he is not perfect... but he has been my candidate since March, and he is My President. I will take the good with the bad in the term to come. This feeling of having an intelligent, inspiring, diplomatic and thoughtful man win the office I wanted him to win is like nothing else. I feel so blessed today and hope that my President proves to be as good as his word.