Did you earn your right to bitch? Or to praise or defend?  If you voted yesterday, then the answer is a resounding “YES”!  I assume most of you reading this did your civic duty…there were record numbers of voters at the polls and I applaud you for being one of them.  If you chose not to exercise that right, well…I think I’ll keep my mouth shut on that one.  This is America, and it is your choice to forego that right.  It’s not my place to judge.  I mean, hell, maybe you had better things to do, like sleep, or get stoned…or, in your defense, maybe you were halfway across the world building a clean water system in a needy African village.  Nah.  Folks like that likely mailed in their ballots.  Because they realize how important it is to be involved in electing who represents our nation around the world.  But, like I said, I think I’ll keep my mouth shut.

So, how did it feel?  When you gave the volunteer your name, and followed the pointed finger to the voting station?  How did it feel when you finished, and walked out, shoulders back, through the field of signs and throngs of exit pollsters?  It felt good, didn’t it?  Admit it, it felt amazing.  Because you voted in an historic election.  A black man on the ticket for President.  A woman for Vice President.  It was history before the results came in.  And however the pendulum swung, it would be history the day after.  YOU were a part of that!  You.  Whether you sit here today deliriously happy or sorely disappointed by the outcome, we are embarking on a new era.  Both candidates proposed change.  It is badly needed.  And I hope President-elect Obama will begin to steer this slightly damaged ship in the right direction.  Whatever your political leanings, we all want what’s best for this country.  Be proud that you were part of a democratic process that so many around the world can only dream of.

I don’t envy the soon-to-be Commander in Chief.  He has some steep mountains to climb and high expectations to contend with, but let’s do our best to support him.  It’s in our best interest.  We don’t always have to agree.  But we can be open-minded to new possibilities.  We clearly haven’t faired too well in recent years, and more dramatically in recent months.  New ideas…new approaches to old problems might bring about some good.  We’ll see.

The speeches by both candidates last night were truly amazing.  McCain was incredibly gracious, and I believe, humbled himself by the election of our first African-American president.  McCain is, first and foremost, a proud American.  He was part of history, and I truly think he ‘gets’ that.  We saw a side of him last night that was missing during the endless campaign.  It was nice to see him back.  And Obama’s speech was inspiring, humbling as well, and seemed to seek the uniting of those who supported him and those who didn’t.  He mentioned Dr. King at one point, and this morning I plugged “I Have a Dream” into the search feature on YouTube.  I watched that historic speech, and goosebumps popped up all over as I realized his dream had, in large part, come damn close to reality.  Dr. King dreamed of a day when his four young children would ’live in a nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character’.  Take a look at the speech when you get some time.  Sometimes it’s good to check back in to the bigger picture:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk.

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