"I'm awakening in a New World"
I think it's just now hitting me. How amazing Tuesday night was. I mean, to think, just forty years ago, African Americans weren't even allowed to vote! (That itself is staggering.) But now, America has elected its first African American president. There are people from the Civil Rights Movement alive today who never dreamed this could happen in their lifetime. Maybe their grandchildren's but certainly not their own. And it's not just that he's black; his background is so diverse. He actually has global connections, from Africa (with his Kenyan father) to Asia (with his Indonesian step-father), and the thing is, Americans felt a connection with him, too. In a time when Islam has replaced Communism as the most feared idea in the U.S., people have opened their minds a little more and chosen a President Barack Hussein Obama. *_*
I admit that I under-estimated the American people. I really expected his race, multi-nationality, background, and, of all things, his name to affect this election. But I'm not ashamed to admit this because I'm even more proud to say that it didn't. He wasn't elected despite his race, or because of it. It really did not matter. Obama was elected because of who he is, not what he is. And that is the final realization of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Dream. T_T
I know this is not the end of racism by far, and we still have a long way to go before we have a president who is homosexual or of a religion other than Christianity. But this election has certainly opened the gates like never before, both for women and minorities. And I'm so proud of this country. <3
I'm proud of this state, too! Florida was a red state. Then it was a battleground state. And then, miraculously, it was a blue state. And with its 27 electoral votes, Barack Obama officially became the President-Elect. Our state was the one that tipped the scale, clinched the deal, changed history. We were a part of that history. What a feeling! :D
I was never an Obama worshipper like some (as you know, I was a Hillary supporter), but I really think he has united this nation under the banner of hope. I don't expect him to fix all of the numerous and massive problems we face; that change has to come from us, the people. But if anyone can inspire that spirit of civic duty and service, it's him. (Did you hear his speech?! It was so beautiful, hopeful yet humble, heart-warming yet powerful. It really sounded like one of those perfect speeches from The West Wing, the kind that filled my heart with national pride and my eyes with loving tears. Man, I miss that show! *fangirls over The West Wing POTUS Bartlet Santos Obama* =)
Of course, despite the major celebration of Obama and the many Democratic wins (including the total electoral ass-kicking of Tom Feeney *praying mantis*), there were some disappointments, as well. In Florida, Amendment 1 did not pass. That makes us the last state to have in its Constitution any remnant of the racist Jim Crow laws from the 1800s. I blame the complex language of the proposition since it's an archaic and obsolete law, but it still stings that there remains in existence a law that prohibits immigrants, namely Asians, from purchasing property. D:
Personally, the biggest blow was the passing of Amendment 2, the so-called "Marriage Protection Act". It needed 60% for approval, and it got 62%. Unbelievable. Or rather, it's believable, but it's so shameful. Like California, which just overturned their Supreme Court ruling (*headdesks*), Florida banned gay marriage. But it also took away the rights of unmarried (heterosexual) couples. I'm really disappointed by this. I thought the time had come, but it looks like we'll just have to wait awhile longer. =(
I don't want to end this on a negative note, so I'll just say again how thrilled I am that Barack Obama will be our 44th President of the United States of America. ^_^
I admit that I under-estimated the American people. I really expected his race, multi-nationality, background, and, of all things, his name to affect this election. But I'm not ashamed to admit this because I'm even more proud to say that it didn't. He wasn't elected despite his race, or because of it. It really did not matter. Obama was elected because of who he is, not what he is. And that is the final realization of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Dream. T_T
I know this is not the end of racism by far, and we still have a long way to go before we have a president who is homosexual or of a religion other than Christianity. But this election has certainly opened the gates like never before, both for women and minorities. And I'm so proud of this country. <3
I'm proud of this state, too! Florida was a red state. Then it was a battleground state. And then, miraculously, it was a blue state. And with its 27 electoral votes, Barack Obama officially became the President-Elect. Our state was the one that tipped the scale, clinched the deal, changed history. We were a part of that history. What a feeling! :D
I was never an Obama worshipper like some (as you know, I was a Hillary supporter), but I really think he has united this nation under the banner of hope. I don't expect him to fix all of the numerous and massive problems we face; that change has to come from us, the people. But if anyone can inspire that spirit of civic duty and service, it's him. (Did you hear his speech?! It was so beautiful, hopeful yet humble, heart-warming yet powerful. It really sounded like one of those perfect speeches from The West Wing, the kind that filled my heart with national pride and my eyes with loving tears. Man, I miss that show! *fangirls over The West Wing POTUS Bartlet Santos Obama* =)
Of course, despite the major celebration of Obama and the many Democratic wins (including the total electoral ass-kicking of Tom Feeney *praying mantis*), there were some disappointments, as well. In Florida, Amendment 1 did not pass. That makes us the last state to have in its Constitution any remnant of the racist Jim Crow laws from the 1800s. I blame the complex language of the proposition since it's an archaic and obsolete law, but it still stings that there remains in existence a law that prohibits immigrants, namely Asians, from purchasing property. D:
Personally, the biggest blow was the passing of Amendment 2, the so-called "Marriage Protection Act". It needed 60% for approval, and it got 62%. Unbelievable. Or rather, it's believable, but it's so shameful. Like California, which just overturned their Supreme Court ruling (*headdesks*), Florida banned gay marriage. But it also took away the rights of unmarried (heterosexual) couples. I'm really disappointed by this. I thought the time had come, but it looks like we'll just have to wait awhile longer. =(
I don't want to end this on a negative note, so I'll just say again how thrilled I am that Barack Obama will be our 44th President of the United States of America. ^_^