My Thoughts

It's amazing how much better I feel since the election is over. I am not sure I really realized how much it was affecting me. I feel a sense of relief that is so huge, I don't even know how to express it. It's like the world will be OK now.

I mean this in the sense that Barack is a healer. I've listened to a lot of radio shows since the results came in, and the whole world is celebrating. I loved Bill Clinton, you know I did. I loved Hillary. I still do.

But Barack, he has the Oprah quality about him. I feel like he would come into my house, sit down at my table, and have a cup of coffee with me. That he is one of us. He did not come from wealth, but he did come from diversity and education and compassion.

He represents all of us. Black, White, Indonesian, Asian, Latinos, and every other ethnic group.

His gentle manner is what has inspired me so. But I know under that gentleness and compassion, there is a man with a back of steel, and a heart of gold.

I FEEL this. I cry every time I think about it. I know it in my soul.

After learning the destruction that the Bush Administration has done to our constitution. After learning just how much they lied about the war in Iraq. How Bush, Cheney and Rove sent all of those loyal servicemen to their deaths in that war, I feel nothing but grief for the loss of all of our good men and women, and a huge sense of relief that we have a smart, kind man who is going to be our next president.

I believe he can keep us, that he will teach us to be our brothers keeper again. He will make the right decisions, the hard decisions, and possibly the unpopular decisions, but that he will run a strong administration. If you go back and listen to some of the fireside chats done by FDR you will see a great many similarities. This great man, has come to us, as one of us, to help us find our way again.

He understands the damage that has been done by Bush and Co to the constitution. He understands that we are just about to fall into a dictatorship with the passage of the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act. I'm not sure most Americans understand the destruction to the basic rule of law that has been done at Guantanamo or the dangerous precedent that has been set by this.

I've spoken to people about Blackwater. People don't realize what is going on. This is a privatized army that falls outside the rule of law. Even though for the most part they are in Iraq, they are busily setting up camp here in the US. According to Order 17, which regulates contractors in Iraq by the one time US administrator in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, these contractors are immune from prosecution.

This is in Iraq.

But here is the thing, the Department of Homeland Security hired a great many of these people to go to New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Private thugs for hire. It's a scary proposition, especially when you consider these "guards" are possibly immune from prosecution. If they are in Iraq by decree of the US government, what is to stop this same thing from happening here in the US?

Our government is now able to monitor our private communications with out warrant or reason. This is a huge invasion of privacy. You might think, that there is really nothing intrinsically wrong with this if you are not doing anything wrong. But a time will come, when all the government has to do is "say" you have done something wrong.

President Bush's use of signing statements is so troubling. Did you know, that by using signing statements he is able to bypass the law?

President Bush, and President Elect Obama as well, will now be able to declare anyone in this country an "Enemy Combatant".

This means that you can be taken into custody for any reason. At any time. Have your most basic rights taken away by not being able to see an attorney or your family. In fact it's possible your family would probably not even know where you are.

The use of torture at Guantanamo has set a dangerous precedent. We are not supposed to be able to torture prisoners, yet we have done just that. By doing that there, it opens the door to doing it here within the US borders.

Our government has begun to control the press. This is something that is easily looked up. It's happening right now. In small amounts, but that will eventually set off larger amounts, until they are fully controlling the press. This means we will not get accurate reporting. This means our voices have been silenced.

Did you know, that by the passing of the John Warner Defense Act of 2007, the president now has new powers over the National Guard. This means, that by simple decree of the President that he can send Montana's National Guard to Kentucky to enforce any sort of state of emergency that he may declare, even over the objections of that states governor and it's citizens.

"According to Naomi Wolf, "Critics see this as a clear violation of the Possee Comitatus Act which was meant to restrain the federal government from using the military from domestic law enforcement.

So what am I saying. I'm saying as bad as the economy is, as bad as I've disliked the Bush Administration, and as bad as I disliked the McCain/Palin ticket, the force in me was not coming from my dislike.

I was beginning to feel a fear I've never felt before. A fear that our country, as we knew it, was falling apart before our eyes, and that no one was taking notice. That we really are a nanosecond away from falling under complete control of a dictatorship. My fear didn't come from the loss of money, nor my dislike. It came from pure unadulterated fear.

The more I read and believe me I've read a lot at this point, the more I realized just how far outside the rule of law the Bush administration has be conducting itself.

This is why when I saw the light in Barack Obama, I knew I had to get out there, and fight. That for my kids, I had to get out there and at least try to make a difference.

We won this election because of millions of people like me. We all did a little bitty part, but all those parts added up to a whole. We spoke so loudly that no one could not hear us. We have changed the world as we know it.

I'm proud I was part of it. I'm proud my little children will not know what it is like to only have white male presidents. The world will look at us differently because of our new President.

It feels as if we are suddenly united. We came together, under the worst of circumstances, and battled the rumors, the lies and the racist comments, and we moved forward with with giant step as a nation.

I have been accused by some people as not loving our country. Of not supporting the troops. Of not being proud to be an American. This couldn't be further from the truth. I have had a yellow "support the troops" ribbon on my truck for years. I support them, right down to everything I have in me. I want them to come home, to be safe, and for the needless killing to stop. I DO NOT support the war. I have never supported this war. It was wrong from the very beginning.

So I guess what I'm saying, is that this week I've been processing this victory. I'll be ever grateful that my ticket won this election, and I've never felt more certain that we picked the right man to pull us out of this mess.

I need to try to get back to life as normal now. To let go of my obsession with this election, the thing is, I really feel like once your eyes really open there is no going back.

Peace,

OC