Obama Unites with Hope - From Sea to Shining Sea

[K Gardner]

I flew 3,000 miles today, from deep inside "McCain Country" (East Tennessee)to the beautiful blue state of California; and at each and every airport one thing became stunningly obvious: Obama Unites.

People gathered round each of two big screen TVs this morning at 6 a.m., in one of the reddest of red states, watching CNN rerun the Florida Rally from last night featuring The Big Dog. They did not sit. They stood, rapt in their attention; occasionally laughing, often nodding heads in agreement and most noticeably, smiling. They reluctantly moved away only when the plane was boarding, and then they moved slowly. It was evident, something was happening. There was something different in the air.

"I like your pin." If I heard it once I heard it a thousand times as people noticed the black & white HOPE pin with a picture of Barack on it. From there, people just wanted to talk. They wanted to smile, to connect with another human being. It was as if they realized they didn't have to hide their excitement any longer, or worry that the other person supported the campaign of Fear and Hate. If there were those around who did not share the excitement, they were eerily quiet today. Maybe, just maybe, Love and Hope does win.



In Dallas, once more, people gathered in the lounges around the scattered TVs showing CNN. Obama comes on, a snippet of a speech, a news item, they look up. They pay attention, they smile. In the bookstore, a gaggle of people gathered around to discuss my "Hope" pin. Friends made, numbers exchanged, strangers united through Hope - the Hope that Barack is bringing. A waitress gives me the thumbs up sign, an extra bottle of water to take on the plane. She says only, "When you come back through, we'll celebrate."

By the time I reached California, I'd lost the irrational fear of being tarred and feathered by hate-mongers. Instead I was bouyed up, floating along in a sea of humanity and realizing this is only the beginning of the reconnection of the American people. We can see the end of it - that long tunnel of greed and war and hate and fear, of animosity nearly a decade long. Moving into the light, people want only to know others will be there to take their hand, to share the journey.

Obama gives us permission to look at each other again; to share our stories as Americans, united in our struggles and working together for solutions; to give and relish in the giving; to strive together for a more perfect Union. He tells us, it's OK to smile with each other; we're not strangers anymore. The long national nightmare really is almost over. Breathe.

"Thank you." The voice of the African-American woman at the rental car counter. "For what?", I say as she hands me my keys. "For not being afraid to wear Hope", she said, and smiled. Overcome with emotion, as I am often these days, I shook her hand; patted it gently and the silent look that passed between us said, "We're going to be alright."

Finally. We ARE going to be alright. There is something stirring in the air. It feels like Hope.

[Sebass1271]

1. :)

:cry:

REALLY.. can't take this anymore.. i am going to dye young of a heart attack.. - what a great story
and uplifting story..

thank you.

[K Gardner]

2. I've no idea how I'm going to work next Tuesday night. Talk about being a mess !

[AuntPatsy]

3. That was beautiful. That is a great hope of mine, to unite, to put behind

us the last ten years of reinforced division tactics....Bush claimed to be a uniter, he actually ran on that slogan, he had been our governor here in Texas, far too many believed him, I did not...

Witnessing the attacking of President William Clinton had left me shaken and disturbed by those that called themselves Republican. I began to feel anxious, angry and began to experience a wariness that I had never felt before inside the spectrum of political partisan insiders..I began a slow interest in what was occurring in our country, truth is that I took far too much for granted...

I had always relied on our leaders to worry for me, to think for me, to take care of things that I felt I was not exactly experienced enough to take an interest in on a more personal level of awareness and actions, I allowed our leaders free reign to enact laws, decide what was good for me and what was bad..I allowed them to decide for me who was friend and who was foe...

Then the horrific display of hate and lies begun to take the democratic party down by the conservative base who as I did called themselves American citizens.., President William Clinton seemed to me their first major target..

Through the media and columnists I was forced to watch something I thought was long gone..a hatred had begun to swell inside our very own borders pitting brother against brother, sister against sister, friend against friend, a slow dividing of American had once again been reborn with a loud trumpet of voices, many unrecognizable though eerily familiar...

I had innocently believed that bigotry, racism and distrust of those different from ourselves was a thing of the past, lost in my youth, witnessed but then silently vanishing...

I guess I was lulled into a false belief that the human race, americans specifically had learned their lessons of prejudice and dishonor among neighbors and were on the right path to real unity and caring...

I was wrong..

The hatred and anger never left our country, the fear of those different from ourselves still simmered beneath the surface, hidden and yet just waiting to be reborn..

I wrongly believed that justice would always be served for the american people, that our politicians would never forget that they fought and worked for we the people to ensure we prospered and we remained as one...

I wrongly believed that the history of religious persecution along with power hungry and greedy religious leaders was a thing of the past, that never again would religion be used to incite hate, distrust and become nothing more than a weapon to be used as it had been in the dark ages, to instill fear so that people would not dare question it's leaders and simply follow along like little steeple that easily can be likened to being unable to think for one's self..

I honestly believed that humans in general learned from history, did all they could to ensure history was never allowed to repeat itself...

I grew up, I grew up fast as I watched them attempt to destroy a human being, President Clinton whom I had come to admire so firmly though unlike others I never held him or anyone else to impossible standards not one person I have ever met or I am sure will meet could ever live up to..

In my mind, these power hungry, greed pathetic excuse for human leaders begun their slow take over of our very own country during the Clinton years...

I think like myself he was taken by surprise by the attack, by the viciousness of once thought friends turning foe in a very short time..

I watched, I listened, I read...and I felt sickened...fearful...

And when it was time to vote for a new leader in 2000 I without hesitation decided on President Gore..I call him so because I honestly feel he is our rightful president....

I had once thought Bush harmless, caring...not perfect but then again who was..but he was easily seen as one of them the moment he began his desire to take over our country and rape her blind by standing side by side of those I had already realized were a very real threat to this country...

The campaign, the march for power was not pretty, their real desire fairly easy to see, to this day I am dumbfounded how so many seemed to have been fooled by the lies, the manipulation that allowed them to once again hate, distrust and wish to war with not only another country, but their once cherished, family members, friends, even strangers...

I blame myself for what has been allowed to happen these past ten years, I blame my lack of attention, my laziness, my selfishness that my personal problems came first before anyone or anything else regardless of the uneasiness I felt so long ago..I despise my weakness that allowed me to do nothing...my fear that my voice was just not loud enough to shout our my fears, that my intelligence was so lacking that I felt that surely I could change little, by doing nothing more than worrying, being angry by not honestly helping to save our country, our citizens that I surely will feel that guilt til my last breath that I did nothing and people died, people became lost, homeless and left even more fearful than I of what the future held..

You see, I knew in my heart, I sensed it well before the voting day for the presidential election of 2000, I whispered my concerns to friends, family members but did little else..to be fair, no one really listened to me early on, I had never before taken an interest in the goings on of our government and or its structure...but I knew..

I knew then and thankfully many many many know it as well and hopefully like me that want to make amends, they want to finally do something to stop these people, ...perhaps we can do something now, its not too late...it can never be too late...they cannot win again...

We can't let them...our children deserve the peace I once knew, the security of country loyalty I once felt, the admiration of other countries that once we were a better nation, a better people, a caring community, and even though I have no doubt racism will always simmer, hatred will always be just beneath the surface, intolerance will be felt by many but we can hope, we can ensure that once again.. Such human flaws shall become buried..and I cannot do it alone, nor can you, but together we are stronger, we can ensure we win, that our country wins, that humanity wins, that tolerance and peace and unity is restored, and by doing so, we can help the world to become a better place for all, not just for ourselves..

And perhaps one day soon, we will once again be seen as a great country, a great people a shining light in a world that has become darkened...

JMTC

[joop]

4. lovely. Thank you

:kick: & R

It is amazing how connected I feel. This election has changed me for the better and I feel the wave of hope, too.

Great piece.

[AuntPatsy]

5. Kicking for Hope for those who missed this last evening, very inspirational...

[K Gardner]

6. Shamelessly kicking this because lots of people need to chill.. think POSITIVE.. its

going to be OK. This forum looks like a repository for OCDs, of which I admittedly am one !!

Breathe people. The wave is coming.

[kick-ass-bob]

7. and another kick :)