Tag Archives: Barack Obama

Viva La Vida

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Well it’s 75 days until Barack Obama’s inauguration. I don’t think I’ll be in Washington DC. I think I’ll stay here, but who knows? Come January I might have free time on my hands the way this economy keeps going south. Not something that I want believe me.

Last night was a quiet night at home, Bill cleaning his mother’s apartment and throwing out his father’s things. He came home after I went to bed. He’s doing the same tonight and may stay there which means I have to make my own damn coffee. Things are back to normal I guess, but the bloom is still on the Obama rose.

Last night was O & RM. I’m slowly weaning myself off the political news, but I’ll still watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Interesting to see Colin Powell getting teary talking about Obama’s election and even more interesting to see Condoleezza Rice express pride as an African American in regards to Obama’s success.

Definitely off the republican message. Still not too fond of her and have a low, grudging respect for Powell.

Now that Casey works downtown there is no one to talk to on the bus ride into the city which means I can tear through the New Yorker. I’m only a week behind.

Work has been busy. New Sub-tenants moving in and so far they aren’t the big pain in the ass that I anticipated. Tom Chin has been moved to another office which he is sharing with Vivek and my cubicle is going to be dismantled for the new inhabitants which means I will be in a different cube. That should be fun. Whether or not I wrote that facetiously remains to be seen.

So today is Thursday and tomorrow is Friday. It was a fast week. I think the excitement of the election helped speed things along. I might go up to Otisville on Saturday and hang out with Pedro but that depends on how he is feeling since he too has the bug.

I can’t be blamed for his condition. I blame the crooks at Rikers that he comes into contact with. It would be nice to get out of town, if only for 12 hours. His girlfriend Connie is looking forward to it. She likes to cook for Pedro’s friends and she’s pretty good at it.

Tonight promises to be a quiet night and tomorrow just might be another short Friday, me leaving the office at 3:00 is quite nice. I have to say that I really enjoy wearing a suit and tie to work. It’s so much easier and makes me feel better about myself.

A boost to my self-esteem which is always welcome. Even though Friday’s are generally casual day I wear a suit and tie. Yesterday I was busy and Vivek warned me to dress casual for the work at hand, so that meant I wore some nice trousers and a collared shirt which was casual for me yet dressed up for Vivek.

Whatever works I guess.

Sorry about the late posting but my computer/wireless connection has been quite unruly!

The Promised Land

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Oh my. It happened. History was made last night and I personally am quite glad, and proud to have been able to help with the campaign by volunteering my time and donating some money. This battle was won, the California battle, the No on Prop h8 was lost. But that’s not over yet.

Nice to see that poverty, homelessness and war has been taken care of so that the mormons and the knights of columbus were able to contribute millions of dollars (25 Million and up they say) to ensure that discrimination will be written into the California constitution and enabling thousands of citizens to be deprived of their rights.

So close those catholic schools, forget about feeding the homeless and while they’re at it, forget the basic principles, the very tenets of your faith because you just know that their lord and savior wouldn’t side with the christianists on this vile, hateful issue.

And as far as the mormons go, well 19th century religions lend themselves to an air of ridiculousness and the church of latter day neck bones are at the top of the list. And the same goes for Arizona, Florida and good old Arkansas denying gay people to adopt children that no one else bloody wants.

Let those children suffer rather than have some one help them and love them. Let them fester in loneliness and feelings of not being wanted, all in the name of religion and fear, amen.

Despite that bitter taste in my mouth throughout the day I was overcome, getting choked up and tears welling in my eyes when I think of what was accomplished by Barack Obama. I don’t know if a lot of people that aren’t of color recognize the shit black people have gone through for hundreds of years.

Slavery, the erasing of identities, the separation of families, fighting for the freedom of Europe and the Pacific and coming home to find that they were still second class citizens, being attacked by police dogs and fire hoses for sitting at a lunch counter or refusing to sit at the back of the bus or trying to enroll in schools or trying to vote, the separate but ‘equal’ Jim Crow laws and being told by institutions that they just weren’t as good as white people.

Systematically told this every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every month, year, decade and century. I was told that I was worthless and no good and an idiot for the first 20 years of my life and that was from my father. I still wear those scars and carry that baggage and my father was just one man.

Imagine a government, a society telling you this over and over for years and years. It will fuck you up. If it’s not easy for me to ‘shake off’ it certainly wouldn’t be easy for a large segment of society.

Barack Obama being elected to the highest office in the land is a remarkable achievement and an historical event and I was glad to witness it with my partner Bill and my dear friend Juan who voted in his first election and hit a home run. My nephew Earl and my niece Corinne also hit home runs voting in their first election and I am proud of all of them

Last night was a bit like New Years Eve, calling up my sister when it was announced that Barack Obama won the election. A few other phone calls, all with celebratory greetings of happiness and tears of joy and calls from friends and family telling me that they were speechless. It actually felt as momentous as New Years Eve 1999.

Last night as it was all unfolding I was fearful, before Bill came home and Juan came over. I turned on MSNBC and they were talking about McCain winning Indiana. I couldn’t believe it and started to feel that same despair I felt in 2004.

I turned it off and waited until Bill came home. Then it was watching the results with Bill and Juan bolstering my spirits. Even as Barack Obama won, I couldn’t believe it though I did. Slept like a rock going to bed at 1:00AM. It only made sense to me today, buying up the big three newspapers for this historical event. I think I’ll keep them under the stairs in the basement.

Letter from Nelson Mandela to the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.

5 November 2008
Senator Barack Obama,
Chicago
Dear Senator Obama,
We join people in your country and around the world in congratulating you on becoming the President-Elect of the United States. Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place.

We note and applaud your commitment to supporting the cause of peace and security around the world. We trust that you will also make it the mission of your Presidency to combat the scourge of poverty and disease everywhere.

We wish you strength and fortitude in the challenging days and years that lie ahead. We are sure you will ultimately achieve your dream making the United States of America a full partner in a community of nations committed to peace and prosperity for all.
Sincerely,
N R Mandela
courtesy of the New York Times

“Mister I ain’t a boy, no- I’m a man and I believe in the Promised Land!”


Now give those girls a puppy!