Politics.

In case you haven’t heard, today there’s a little ceremony going on in Washington, D.C. We call it an inauguration. Our new president is being sworn in. His name is Barack Obama.

For me, today ends eight years of a constant stream of “WTFs” when it comes to the leadership of the United States. In eight years I have been turned from a person that didn’t really pay much attention to politics to one that couldn’t help but notice what was going on and was subsequently infuriated repeatedly by “the Man”. It was during the last eight years that I stopped singing the National Anthem as a protest to where our country was headed. It was during these past eight years that I first considered becoming a citizen of another country.

I have hope that change begins today.

Do I think that our new President is the Messiah? I think he has a lot of great ideas, brings a positive light to a very negative place and will steer our country back where she used to be before (and I’ll say this part for the last time) “Bush Lite and his cast of idiots” got a hold of the reigns. Do I think we’ll do a 360 in a week? Of course not. President Obama has a huge task before him.

And I believe he’s up to the challenge.

I think one of the most beautiful things about today is that there really is a sense of hope among Americans. With some that hope is just a glimmer, with others it burns like a supernova. For me, well, I’d put my intensity somewhere around a bright light like they use to keep the fries warm at McDonalds. No matter how bright the light shines, the darkness of dread has been chased away by the light of hope.

And that can only be a good thing.

As I browse around the internet this weekend I can’t help but stumble across various news feeds, commentaries and the like on Tuesday’s inauguration. Many are describing the ceremony for the swearing in of President Obama as “the greatest inauguration in history.” Whilst I have no doubt that we have elected a truly great man to be the next president of the United States, and perhaps one of the finest men to hold the office in our 233 year history, I somewhat cringe at the description of this being the “greatest” inauguration in our history. I think it belittles some truly great ceremonies in our past.

I mean, no matter what ceremony was employed with the swearing in of George Washington as our first president, and admittedly ignorance prevents me from discussing the mechanics of his inauguration, the fact that President Washington was being sworn in as the leader of a brand new country that was unlike any other at that time is pretty great. Perhaps some may have called that the greatest inauguration ever. President George Washington was leading this whole new democratic system as a shake-down, a maiden voyage, a trial run. That in itself is pretty amazing if you think about it and he even did it without CNN, MSNBC and other 24/7 media outlets discussing every topic from what he would say at the event, what powder he used in wig, who would be present from both sides of the “aisle” and whether or not the wood in his dentures was bamboo or oak. No matter how you look at it, it was a pretty amazing day in April 1789 in New York.

I have to think that the while the swearing in of President Obama is truly historic and certainly a great moment in the history of our country, and please don’t misunderstand me to think that I am discounting the event in any way, it somewhat diminishes the accomplishments and the leaders along the way that got us here and got him there, by saying that this is the “greatest inauguration” in the history of the United States.

Tuesday will be a fine moment in our history and for the first time in a long while I am excited about what lies ahead for the United States. I am excited about this great moment in our history.

I stopped singing the National Anthem after Bush Lite was re-elected in 2004. Where I used to stand proudly and sing the National Anthem at ball games and such, heck, I even performed it for local sports teams on a couple of occasions, I didn’t feel like I fit in with the whole American thing we had going on during the second term of the Bush Administration.

Last night’s victory for President-Elect Obama changed that feeling considerably last night. However, there is a bittersweet element to the news today: California’s apparent vote to constitutionally ban gay marriage kept my “good vibe” from going all the way to the finish line. Because of this there is still a part of me that feels like an outsider. I suppose as a loud and proud gay man I will always be an outsider. I won’t stand for being merely ‘tolerated’. I don’t even like the word ‘acceptance’; I don’t choose to accept heterosexual people, why should they choose to accept gay men and women? It’s just the way it is. I am who I am and I’m not going anywhere, getting any quieter or going on the “down low”. So I guess that makes me a bit of an outsider. I know that my personality and assorted quirks will also make me seem somewhat eccentric, but even eccentrics should be granted the same rights as everyone else. At least I’m in good company.

Don’t get me wrong, I am once again very excited about the future of our country. I believe our new President is able and willing to fix the mess that the last administration has created. Will it happen quickly? No. But it will happen. I have no doubt about that.

And I will once again proudly sing the National Anthem.

Thank you, America. We have reached the light at the end of a long, long tunnel.

Aside from the customer who called our call center today because “the Internet is sticky and jerky today” (that was an interesting call), work has been relatively stress free and quiet today. I guess everyone is focusing on the U.S. elections today. We have been following various news sources on the events as the day goes on. Earl and I will be voting tonight after work. I’m excited to see how long we have to wait and what my number in the big book of signatures will be. I hope it’s a high number. In 2004 I was number 384 at around 6:15 p.m. That’s not a very good turnout.

One of the comments I read on CNN or MSNBC intrigued me. A woman in Arkansas told the pollster or reporter that she based her vote on “national security.” The nebulous concept was her number one priority when it came to selecting her choice for President. Her vote went to McCain.

I have often said that I am wired very differently than most but I haven’t even considered “national security” as one of my bullet points in formulating my vote. The economy? Absolutely. Energy policy? Naturally. Gay rights? Of course. There’s a smattering of other subjects that I have considered as well but national security? No. And here’s why.

I am an American. I believe that at one time the United States of American was THE best place to live on the planet. Today I believe it is ONE of the best places to live. Our policies have been a little wonky during this last administration. The liberties that we so often tout as being wonderful are slowly being taken away from us, all in the name of national security. Granted, the events of 9/11 were horrifying. A lot of people died. But how many have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since? We can not live in fear for the rest of our existence because of that. We can’t be afraid of terrorists. We can’t be afraid of immigrants. We can’t be afraid of people that are different than the some concept of the “American way”. We just can’t. There are ‘bad guys’ everywhere, on both sides of our borders. And to fear these bad guys is unproductive.

The individual that lives in fear must lead a very sad existence. Bad things happen. Bad things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. This is what happens and that’s just a fact of life. I blame this fear on organised religion. “If you don’t do as I say you are going to hell and you are going to burn forever.” An all loving God, damning his own creation to eternity in hell. That doesn’t even make sense. Being a reincarnationist, I figure if you screw up this life you’re coming back to learn better lessons the next time. When I was a youngster I asked my mother what hell was. She told me she believed that THIS is it and explained why. I know that she was absolutely right.

Living in fear. So sad. And so unfortunate that you base your vote in this historical election on the fear that you’re being fed. “Vote for me or bad things will happen.” So unfortunate.

Don’t live in fear. Live full of hope. But most importantly, vote!

I don’t know if you have heard the news or not, but tomorrow there is a big election in the United States. There may have been something mentioned on the news. Not only are we voting in a new administration, but several key decisions are being made tomorrow as well.

I overheard someone say that they were still undecided and that they would like to hear what the candidates have to say tonight. Um, o.k. I think that if you haven’t decided your choice yet then you’re probably completely clueless or really dense, but by god it’s your right to vote and you should exercise that right.

Though the polls are currently showing this all going to Obama’s favor, I have to admit that I don’t put a lot of faith in polls. I know it’s all scientific and all that but I don’t completely buy into it. The only way we’ll know who is going to win is when the other guy concedes or the Supreme Court hands down another decision.

As a technology geek I have to say that I do not trust these electronic voting machines that do not print out a receipt for the voter. We’ve all seen the videos of the “vote jumping” on the touchscreen systems. I truly believe that’s just bad software decision and screen calibration; a malicious programmer would never make the vote jumping or false tallying so obvious. I would have no problem with electronic voting machines if the code (the program) was open source and available for all the world to review. Personal agendas would be irrelevant in that case; proprietary equipment and programming allows for personal agendas to become commonplace.

My vote tomorrow will be for the Obama/Biden ticket. I don’t agree with his 100% of his policies but I sure as hell know that he’s a better choice than McCain/Palin. The latter two worry me.

Last weekend when Earl and I were in Pennsylvania with his relatives the subject of the upcoming elections came up. To me this is somewhat of a foreign concept because there was an unwritten rule in my family that you just didn’t talk politics. You certainly participated by going to the fire hall and casting your vote, but you didn’t talk about it.

Anyway, as Earl and his family were playing cards, his step-aunt and I conversed in the living room and she asked who I was going to vote for. I said without hesitation that my vote was going to Obama and I stated the various reasons why: the past eight years have been nothing short of a nightmare and I believe a step in the wrong direction for the United States. I said that I believed that Obama’s message of “change” and “hope” is completely valid. I did preface my comments with “I would have voted for Hillary”, but that’s water under the bridge. Michelle said that she would probably vote for Obama as well and stated her reasons why. We were pretty much in agreement.

The next day at the wedding reception, Earl’s aunt asked us who we were voting for. Earl responded with “Obama, of course.” The aunt nodded and had nothing else to say. She is obviously for McCain. The conversation stopped there. We were being polite at the wedding reception after all. I had a hunch that there may have been racial concerns. Another said she wasn’t voting for Obama because he’d probably be shot before inauguration and she didn’t want to see him dead. Love that logic.

All that being said, I think Earl’s stepmom said something that I think a lot of people need to think about. Unfortunately, race plays a big part in many people’s decision. Personally I think factoring in race when making a decision like this is crazy but then again I don’t even come close to thinking like the rest of the crowd. Earl’s stepmom simply said that people should just close their eyes and listen to what the candidates are saying. If your judgement is clouded by race, then take race out of the picture. Close your eyes and open your mind because then the choice is perfectly obvious: she’s voting for Obama (but would have rather voted for Hillary). I have always liked my mother-in-law.

Listening to NPR yesterday I heard a person make a comment that I found to be brilliant. This is the longest presidential campaign in the history of our country. It is also the most expensive. The media coverage has been nothing short of overwhelming. The person said that if you had not made up your mind this late in the game, with less than two weeks until the election, then the motivation, thought and consideration behind your vote is going to be dubious at best. I couldn’t agree more. Granted, this is the perfect time to sway undecided voters in one direction or another, but if the truth were to come down to it, Americans should be making intelligent, well thought out choices based on the information that has been presented before them over the past countless months before casting their vote. A rushed, uninformed decision before doing whatever electronic gimmick you have to vote these days is not doing your duty as an American citizen. Picking the “handsome one” or the “white one” or the “woman who can see Russia from her house” or the “man with the bad hair” for those reasons alone is irresponsible. It’s our duty to know our candidates and make that well thought out vote.

Personally I can’t understand why a person doesn’t vote for Obama. A vote for McCain is a vote for “same same same”. The vote in that direction also says to me that you ‘tolerate’ Earl and I as a couple. (I will not be simply ‘tolerated’). It says that health care is not a basic necessity for everybody. (Sick people are o.k. if they’re poor?) It tells me that you trust Anita Bryant Jr. and the whacky Jesus 7 with the nuclear launch codes should something (god forbid) happen to John McCain. I hope the witches don’t get her on Hallowe’en.

Know your vote and know it well.

Dear Ms. Palin:

Is it o.k. to call you “Ms.”? I should call you Governor but I’m not sure that the title appeals to the Joe Six Pack crowd you adore so much. Maybe I’ll stick to the traditional approach and just call you “Mrs.” or “Your Ladyship”.

Anyways, a quick question for you if you’re not too busy being all mavericky. From my backyard I can watch brand new Boeing 777 Dreamliners and AWAK planes and military fighter jets land and takeoff from the local airfield. Because of this, would you please consider me to be the new head of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) should you and the Spooky One¹ get into office in November? I believe my credentials are equivalent to yours, what with you being able to see Russia and all.

Thank you.

¹ I’m waiting for the end of this bad episode where Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby rip off McCain’s mask to reveal who the mean guy really is.

As Earl and I drove along the New York State Thruway tonight, we tuned into CNN on Sirius radio and listened to the Vice Presidential debate in it’s entirety. As the debate came to a close it seemed only appropriate that we crossed the border into Canada as the discussion came to a close.

O Canada!

Now, what’s that tangerine drink again? I need a boost.