The week in review...

I have been thinking a lot about this past week, this historic week.  I do think that we have met the goal promised (threatened?) by the Chinese philosopher  who hoped that we lived in interesting times.  How can it be that a country that won't let gay people get married, still has two or three "different" America's based on class and or color, elect a Black person as president?  Maybe I should rephrase that...thank a higher deity of unknown gender or race that we do live in a country that can do this.  It is indicative of how much progress that this country has made in its 233 years.  It is also indicative of how little progress this country has made that it has taken this long. That we continue to describe our new president elect not by his accomplishments, like Harvard Law school graduate or US senator, but by his race only confirms how far we still have to go.

To continue on a theme I heard on one of the endless hours of commentary, I have to say that I did not vote for Obama, or at least I don't believe that I voted just for Obama.  I think that instead I voted for the millions of people who preceded Obama and made it possible for him to be elected.  I think I voted for all of the people who marched or sat at lunch counters and drank at fountains marked "colored."  I think I voted for the people who went to schools where they weren't welcomed, and for all of the people who have been arrested for DWB.  I voted for all of those who have faced discrimination of any kind.  The election of Obama was a victory for this very intelligent accomplished man, but it was also a victory for the millions who paved the way, and I voted for them just as much as I voted for Obama.

This election will not heal rifts that are historic and real between the races.  But I can't help but think and hope that this is a step in the direction towards healing.  But what a mountain that Obama, the country, and yes, everyone of us faces.  We need to address economic straights that are perhaps as dire as those the country faced in decade beginning in 1929.  We have two wars going on, with 155,000 troops in harms way, and we are spending billions and billions a day fighting these wars, most of which we are borrowing.   Millions still do not have access to decent health care, much less insurance for that health care.  Millions of others, young and old don't even have enough to eat everyday.  And this list could go on.

So why would I feel optimistic about our country at this time?  We have succeeded in transferring power from one president to another, and doing so peacefully, for the 45th time, a string that goes back to 1784.  And we have just done this by electing a first-term senator, a Harvard law grad who is younger than I am.  Oh, and he is Black.  Certainly 13% of the population has to feel empowered, but all of us, black, white, red, brown and the million shades in-between, should feel that way, too.  If we can as a country can make this step towards equality and even more importantly towards equity, then we might, just might, make some steps towards solving all of the other challenges that we face.

Absolutely we live in interesting times.  Thank God.