"I, Too" am finally represented in The White House

The historic moment has arrived!

Barack Obama is the first Black president---the 44th---of the United States of America!

Gunfire pierces the quiet of the night outside my third-floor office windows here in Clarkston, and for once, I am not calling DeKalb's finest. Tex messages flash across the screen of my cell phone. My friend Rika's Florida friend is screaming and shouting her glee and jubilation at the top of her lungs. Shanice is downstairs following Election '08 on the television, announcing the stupendous news, although I already know. And my soul is ebullient with joy.

I am in awe of the Power---to bring a white American woman and an African man together, as my sister Glenda just eloquently narrated in our celly celebration as I relax, reclined across my bed, feeling the bliss of the moment.

"That was truly an unlikely coupling," I agreed, reflecting on another unlikely situation, Barack's statement about his unlikely start at the beginning of the Presidential Race. But "unlikely" coupled with faith is an unstoppable, untoppable, and undroppable force. Our hero, the son of a melting pot of a union, is an iconic, a Citizen of the World, a true Renaissance Man, with ties to Africa and roots in Indonesia and Hawaii, a global force, who set a goal and walked towards it with a people at his back, to become the first Black president of a country whose presidents have traditionally been white and male. Unlikely, for sure! Here is a man, who is a harbinger of change. Here is a man, who did not accept excuses for why he couldn't be our nation's 44th president, a man who captured 95% of the African-American vote, 66% of the youths, 67% of the Hispanics, and 55% of women voters. Here stands a man with healing on his tongue and hope in his philosophy.

Here is Michelle's man, our man, the BEST man qualified to stand at the helm of this country's stern.

"Yes, we can!" Eloquent, poised, hopeful, inclusive, fearless---Obama spoke these words in his first speech as our leader. As I sat on my red sofa, eyes and ears glued to the television, I was so incredibly proud, again, of the President Elect's oratorical genius. Truly, he empowered all Americans, saying we are more than a collection of people. We are the United States of America. I admired his "Yes, we can!" spirit in praising and pledging to work with Senator John McCain and Governor Palin for the good of the nation. I loved his admission that he was willing to listen to those whose vote he didn't receive. "I will listen to you, especially when we disagree," he promised. The hope of a better day, he is. A defining moment he will bring and has already brought.

His victory is the victory of America, of a government for the people, by the people. His journey, our journey, is one of possibility from the Slave Quarters to the White House. It ushers in a New Era. This being the case, I will no longer give air time to mine or other folks' threadbare excuses of how this one keeps us down and that one barricades our entry.

Barack Obama is a testament to my belief that no one determines how high I fly except me. His victory reminds me that the Invisible is more powerful than the Visible, for the belief that he could be the President of the United States began in the vast reaches of his heartland and in the hearts of others. When thousands couldn't see such a phenomenon, said this country wasn't ready for a change that drastic, and guffawed at the notion that a Black family would ever take up residency in a White House, the Invisible said wait and see, have faith, speak faith, play fair, and keep moving forward with an unshakable resolve in "the endeavoring power of our ideas and democracy...and unyielding hope."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream was realized in a significant way yesterday, as it is now 3:30 a.m. on the Wednesday after Election Tuesday. The sons of slaves and slaveholders were represented in the audience in Grant Park, in Chicago, Illinois, gathered in unfathomable numbers, standing side by side, Oprah leaning on the shoulders of a white brother throughout Obama's entire speech, her face a tapestry of ecstasy. Barack Obama and Joe Biden's walk around the Grant Park stage, hugging and waving, greeting their supporters, was also a manifestation of King's dream. When our new leaders kissed their beautiful wife and embraced their families and campaign rocks, black and white together, an image, for me, created a healing presence, a presage, in my soul.

"Tonight reminds me of a Langston Hughes poem," I said to Rika.

She didn't seem to hear. Didn't know if I was screaming or her friend. Not to mention an upset stomach marshaled a bit of her joy.

"Wait a minute." I knelt on the carpet, in front of my leaning bookcase, and began pulling literature books from my beloved tenure as a DeKalb County English teacher from the bottom shelf. I thumbed the large, glossy pages, until I found the page I sought. Since I didn't get the opportunity to recite it for Rika, who disconnected in need of slumber, I share it with you this morning.

I, Too

By Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I'll sit at the table

When company comes.

Nobody'll dare

Say to me,

"Eat in the kitchen,"

Then.

Besides,

They'll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed---

I, too, am America.

Out of the adversity of our past, out of our historical highs and lows, together we will experience a restoration of prosperity in the change that we were blessed to see yesterday. Barack is right! America can change. Yes, we can. We have proven it before; we prove it now. "Out of many," he said, "we are one." Our Oneness, he promised, would prevail in the long, steep journey ahead.

I am proud to be an American, and as my knee-baby sis added, "I am never more proud to be a Black American as I am now!"

God bless America and every nation across this globe; we are ONE in love, which is all there is!

An aside...and may God bless every moose and reindeer in Alaska this morning.

Bendiciones,
The Golden Goddess

The Days Are Winding Down....

Election Day isn't just another election day of yesteryear! It's historic, it's monumental! It is your opportunity to get up, get out and vote for REAL change.

Let your voice be heard and felt! For countless reasons...

Get to those polls EARLY and let America know that a plastic, well-dressed Barbie is UNacceptable for the Vice Presidency.

If Senator John McCain is blinded by the glam and cannot recognize what Republican ship-jumpers are discovering the closer we get to the history-changing day, don't you stand in the shadows thinking the Palin/McCain, oops, the McCain/Palin ticket is the change this country needs. That wouldn't be change; it's the present remaining the same, except getting worse, with possibly other investigations of political missteps and wars and rumors of wars and gas prices lining already gold-gilded pockets and purses and home-ownership sink holes and tax fiascoes and a number of other unmentionable dramas waiting back stage behind the Political Curtain. Now is your time to ACT. Get to the polls if you have to hop a Marta bus, call a cab, ride a scooter, or hitchhike.

Go test those voting machines. They may be suffering from a glitch-itch to cast a straight Republican ticket. Sticky little devils.

Help rid Washington of political corruption by voting for a team, genuine and presidential, intelligent and inclusive, substantial and grounded; vote Obama/Biden and steer this country to the mountaintop Dr. King glimpsed in a dream!

Obama's tax cuts will help working people, and not just put them on welfare-feeling rolls. The Obama/Biden Administration will tighten the straps on wasteful government spending and corset political waistlines, showing GOP movers and shakers how thoughtless the decision to drop big bucks on Palin's pantsuits, and use the excuse that when the Governor is finished styling and profiling, they will be handed down to charities. Somebody should poll the women waiting outside Goodwill to determine if they'd rather eat or shelter themselves or wear Palin's hand-me-downs. Maybe then we can talk about the necessity of having good decision-making skills before we via for a position as powerful as the Presidency and Vice Presidency.

Say thank you to those Republicans slashing their television advertising at Colorado's three biggest television stations. With your vote, let them know how sensible that move was!

Quit focusing on the Bradley Blunder Blooper! We know folks will say they're voting a particular way in certain audiences and slip behind the curtain and vote the opposite. You go do you---vote Obama/Biden and sing it loud proud all the way to the polls and back home! It'll get your lungs in party form. A celebration is forthcoming.

Vote for your great-grandparents and their parents who never imagined men of character could ever stand at the helm of a political party and reflect their interests.

Be charitable! Take somebody with you when you head to the polls. Each one, bring one. Remember: the more the merrier!

It's A Golden Life, for real, baby, and we're living in a time in which this country is called to live up to the true meaning of its creed, and be a nation where all men are created equal with the right to the pursuit of happiness---and that freedom and happiness must be safeguarded with an Obama/Biden ballot!

Golden Blessings,
TheSiren

On Casting Ballots...

I am proud to be an American. Proud that I live in a country in which I can cast a ballot for the presidential candidate of my choice. Elated that I could cast that ballot early, as I couldn't wait for Election Day to support Illinois Democrat Barack Obama and running partner Delaware Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

God bless the arenas of debates and election commentary and the Internet. These avenues permit you, my fellow Americans, and me to hear and read and discuss the deciding issues for ourselves. I stand staunchly with Barack Obama on the issues of Abortion, Health Care, Iraq, Economy, Taxes, Education, Housing and Immigration.

The 47-year-old loving husband and father, whose mantra of hope and change, changed the face of American politics forever. He stepped out of the Chicago, Illinois, masses, with his poised, graceful, beautiful, intelligent, charming, blockbuster of a First Lady, Michelle, to surpass the Clintons in taking a major party nomination, the first Black man to command such a prestigious position. Obama is the change this country requires to reposition itself on the home stage as well as the international one.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was accurate in saying, "...the approach of the Republican Party and Mr. McCain has become narrower and narrower." The Obama Administration will help widen the gap for all Americans to sit at the Welcoming Table for a share in the American Dream, for all children to receive a quality education and much-needed health care, for mothers to have the right to decide whether to abort or not, for American soldiers to return from an ambiguous war, for families to celebrate housewarmings instead of foreclosures, for immigrants and others seeking asylum to find inclusive legislature in place of bans and vetoes and go-home lobbying.

This country boasts a long history of immigrant blood, sweat and tears. How soon we forget. Why continue to legislate against those who are darker, speak Spanish or other languages, worship differently and cannot transfer their funds from Swiss bank accounts? If we all had to go back to wherever it was our ancestors came or were brought, stolen and in chains, there would be no one to legislate except Native Americans, who might be significantly challenged in doing so, considering the poverty, alcoholism, tuberculosis, and other major health issues they face on reservations today.

I commend Obama's choice for the vice presidency. Mr. Biden is said to possess a noted expertise in foreign policy and is experienced in matters of government and politics. He, too, is a loving husband and strong father, who has seen tough times in his personal life, yet he hurdled seemingly insurmountable odds to be the charismatic, 66-year-old leader that he is today. I admire Biden's humor, intelligence, experience and million-dollar smile.

Yes, I say the history-making team of Obama/Biden makes for a true example of "transformational figures," as Powell said of Obama. At this time, in this election, they are the rational, bankable choice. A ballot cast for them is the winning ticket; it is a vote for an America minus the bungled, ambushed, bushwhacked order of business of the present administration.


MERCY! Am I ever honored to be an American, to be able to say, as Kem sings, "what is on my mind." I agree Arizona Senator John McCain's campaign isn't the best for the country. At 72, he might have polished his glasses and looked around Washington, Phoenix, or somewhere and made a better decision for a running partner than a governor of a smidgen over 7,000 citizens. Or did he think he could control a smiling dynamo, whose gumption and ballistic charm and near-Jackie O hairstyle and take-no-prisoners, I mean pipelines, smile and marathon legs could steal an election? Shouldn't she be articulating sensibly on policy instead of announcing her soccer-mom status and pit bull ferocity and reaffirming her view that Obama had been "palling around with terrorists" because of his association with Bill Ayers, a 1960s-era radical. Excuse me, but did she not get the memo that some of her party playmates have a history of moonlighting and partying and palling and dining and spending with the likes of Bin Laden and his crew before the planes hit the bricks? And is she palling around with racists? Which is the lesser of the two evils?

It is written that Sarah says she believes traditional marriage is the foundation for strong families. And she supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Well, la dee dumb. Might someone articulate what sort of strength went into her government-defined and sanctioned marriage that showed her unmarried, teenage daughter the direct path to motherhood?

Republican Party leaders, do something. Lead! Strongly suggest that GOP backers spend campaign dollars on something more feasible than clothes. If reports are accurate, the cost of the Governor's designer wardrobe is stretching up towards $150,000, quite like, oops, that annoying pipeline that persists on tumbling out of a chilly deficit closet. Wouldn't those funds have been better spent on tutors to debrief the Good Glamorous Governor on national and foreign issues? And the media's new $100,000 question for the evening is, "Quite where do hockey moms shop?"

Voters, wake up! Wise up!

A ballot cast for McCain could conceivably be a ballot cast for a Palin Presidency. Those maverick eyes may be cocked for a more ambitious goal than the VP suite. Mister, beware, be leery, be anything but sleep, if a maverick wants your seat. But then, one's running partner knows her supporting role or job description, I think, though not according to a recent news report noting Palin's quote to third graders, whom she told her job would entail controlling the senate. Huh?

Voters, don't roll out of bed one morning and be looking like the surprised Alaskans somebody forgot to poll, wondering how she won those landslide elections on charm and big talk. Those marathon legs will be in expensive heels carrying out more far fetched policies and in stylish boots hunting more than bears and reindeer. Don't be fooled by the hype! For one reason, there isn't any hype. Just the fact that Condoleeza Rice, perhaps, could have been asked to bring the Governor up to snuff before the race began.

My Fellow Americans, see beyond the Color Line; you might see a rainbow. And hooray, a woman can barrel out of the masses and garner the national stage, (we know, 'cause Hillary sailed out and did just that, memorably so) but if a female candidate, same as a male contender, isn't saying ANYthing, she's a FIGURE head (oh no! Spirit, please let the next Lady Leader boldly step forward with charm, wit, intelligence, elocution, and a PLATFORM the people can understand and rally behind).

I cast my ballot not only for Obama, but also for Obama Girl! What a cute idea from a darling lovely who wears those eye-catching voter undies like only few can! Talk about braving the campaign stoop for a candidate---that little Missy will be singing and shaking and bringing in more than a few ballots for her Super Hero. Do what you do, Obama Girl!


Aaaaah! Thank God we Americans, who have eyes to see and ears to hear and minds to discern, can high jump couched media slants to race to the polls to vote for an America poised to embark on Liberation Trail and away from Tainted Legacy Row.

Now tell me, darlin', aren't you glad you're an American?

Te amo!
TheSiren