President Obama

[Anna from Dublin]

God bless America! What an historic occasion. I trust that the hope and optimism many feel tonight lasts and ushers in a new era of effective and positive change for the USA and for the world.

[paularoid]

God bless America! What an historic occasion. I trust that the hope and optimism many feel tonight lasts and ushers in a new era of effective and positive change for the USA and for the world.
I wouldn't even think about arguing with that - HOWEVER - just remember that as Obama himself keeps reminding us it's NOT going to be easy. Barack Obama is not a figurative magic wand and he can't just make all the bad things that have been done to this country over the past eight years under the Bu$h administration just disappear like they never existed. This is only the first step in a very long and arduous process. It took eight very long years for Bu$h and company to do what has been done and it may very well take a lot longer than that to UNdo all that damage.

We cannot expect Obama to be a saviour. He can't do it alone. He needs our help. He needs our participation. He needs for all of us to be the best that we can be. He needs for all of us to become participants in the determination of our own future rather than have it dictated -to- us by others. Only with our willing participation and involvement can our further forward direction go on.

Now I'll go repost all of this in a thread or two in "The Zoo". :p

[Kath of the Guitar]

Thank you Anna, we are so very happy, and full of hope, something I'd seemed to have lost in the last 8 years.
{{BIG HUG}} to ya my friend :D

[lucille]

Congratulations America. What a stunning acceptance speech - had me in tears.

[Eva]

Congratulations with your new president. I was hoping it would be Obama.

Eva

[Chet]

Congratulations with your new president. I was hoping it would be Obama.

Eva
And it is, Eva. Your hope materialised!

[Mimi]

I'm so happy, I'd love to hug you all!

MIMI:)

[angelgirl]

Fantasic news!

Congratulations to you all and to President Obama.

"That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind" (Neil Armstrong).

America....well done:) :) :)


Angelgirl

[Judy]

Well thanks, Anna...this Missouri girl is pretty happy herself. (And don't forget all the seats the Democrats picked up in Congress!)

[David from London]

Obama's victory is good news, but I see that Proposition 8 has probably been passed in California, making discrimination part of the Constitution. What was Obama's view on this?

[aabram]

Congratulations all round. Let the healing begin

[Anna from Dublin]

OK folks; What's proposition 8?

[dragonlady]

It was a referendum in Califonia to ban gay marriage and define marriage as one man, one woman. It is a reaction to the CA Supreme Court legalizing gay marriage by saying that to deny gays the right to marriage was unconstitutional under the California Constitution. Unfortunately it passed.

[hoops]

there are many things we, as a nation, need to get busy on changing. overturning propositon 8 is one of them. one step at a time tho, let's congratulate president elect Obama.
peace
hoops

[Anna from Dublin]

And here's me thinking that CA had a progressive modern electorate!

[Chet]

Los Angeles stops issuing marriage licenses to gay couples (http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/05/state.laws/index.html)

:(

[Reva]

Come to Ontario, we still believe people have the right to marry whoever they love.

Shame on California.

Congrats to Obama - if I were American, I would happily have voted for him.:)

[DaveM]

Since the recent election at least in part showed a major change in the American social landscape, how about another attempt at a measure that circulated long before its time? I refer to the Equal Rights Amendment, which forbids discrimination on the basis of sex. It seems to me that would cover just about everything, including, yes, same-sex marriage. Might it be worth another try?

[hoops]

davem, man, you are a genious!!! now, to make plans... http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/3/3_4_23.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxpt024YYUS)
peace
hoops





http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp?pc=ZSzeb097&pp=ZNxpt024YYUS (http://smiley.smileycentral.com/download/index.jhtml?partner=ZSzeb097_ZNxpt024YYUS&utm_id=7925)

[Reva]

Under my name I read:


Will meet a tall dark stranger who does not post here

1. Will my current spouse object?

2. Why does this stranger not post here? Some kind of ignoramus?

3. Can you tell me where to go (to meet him, that is :p )?

4. Barack is married already.

[Dee]

4. Barack is married already.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/deemark/Emoticons/chuckling.gif Good one, Reva.

[David from London]

But Anna, they have Arnie for Governor...

[Dee]

He's got a huge mess to clean up that's for sure!

http://www.cbc.ca/photogallery/diversions/1737/3/

:p

[lucille]

Obama's victory is good news, but I see that Proposition 8 has probably been passed in California, making discrimination part of the Constitution. What was Obama's view on this?

This is probably the only negative with Obama. He is not really gay friendly and I believe he had a "token" gay on his staff. That was one of the many reasons I was disappointed that Hillary didn't make it.

[DaveM]

It seems to me that, with regards to civil rights matters and the like, it is time to revisit the Constitution. The first three words of the document are "We The People". Not "We The Heterosexual White Males" as it was interpreted for some time, not "We the Hetereosexuals" as it has been more recently, but simply, "We The People".

Anyone out there not a person? Because if you are, you're entitled to the full protection of the Constitution, which, we must recall, was not drafted to tell people what the could do but what the government COULD NOT DO. (and if you're not a person, what are you?)

There is no mention of marriage in the Constitution, our founders apparently being aware that it is not the business of government. Amendments had to be adopted to eliminate slavery and grant women the vote, never mind that as both slaves and women are people, they should already have been guaranteed full civil rights under the Equal Protection Clause.

Want to see a real new day in government? Cut the redundancies out of the Constitution and enforce it as it was intended: a document designed to let people mind their own business and for government to take the role merely of intervening when someone had other ideas.

Let us have an end to the making of new laws until we first take a long hard look at those we already have and practice them as written. A lot of people won't be happy. But then....a fair number weren't happy about the Constitution when it was first adopted, either.

[hoops]

davem, you should be a lecturer. you speak of very important things
peace
hoops

[DaveM]

Hoops, words are my one true addiction. They are the tools I was born to wield and in many respects I have been frustrated in my pursuit of that birthright because of economic realities which at least for now keep me from the commercial literary marketplace.

But the words come out of their own accord and if I don't set them down they'll keep me awake at nights. So I fill notebooks, I scribble on stray bits of paper, and when I have something to say that I think someone might find worth reading, I put it out there in some way--this board has been a godsend in that respect (and yes, there are others). If someone finds my words amusing, that is "pay" enough, and if they do not and care to explain why, often I find that we both benefit from the exchange. That, too, is a form of profit.

It's hard to explain, but on some level I HAVE to write things down--often trivial things or disorganized muddles of the beginnings of mental trails which end up spiralling and leading nowhere, but they have to come out. I've never thought much about it, I guess, as I've always been that way....must say that I often get wide-eyed stares after spending a few hours with someone and, on being asked what I plan to do with the rest of the day, the response is usually "oh, I'll take notes" or some such. But it's what I do, and I literally cannot imagine existing without some sort of written outlet.

Words are powerful tools....I find that in using them I also polish them as any good craftsman hones the edges of his best carving chisels. I only hope that I use them well. Or at least, well enough. It's quite a challenge to direct one's best effort toward insuring that what you write and what someone else reads prove to be the same thing. Sometimes, it doesn't quite turn out that way. Sometimes, strangely, something grows from that that is far greater than my original intention. Therein lies wonder, and a powerful faith that tickling these keys will never grow stale or tiresome.

Perhaps that's what it is to have a muse. Strangely, I'm not sure if that's the right word. But it's close enough for now.

[Bat]

I just go out on the porch and talk to myself.

[hoops]

davem,
I write too, when i can, thoughts come and go so quickly in my mind, it is the ones that keep coming back, or just flow from the pen that i feel must be written down. i also tell stories, sometimes to myself, sometimes to anyone who will listen. Tracy hears a LOT of my stories. mostly they are true, but i know they all have a twist of the way i see things. I love to hear or read people's thoughts and to see where i can learn from them or expand on them in some way. i think everyone's point of view has some validity no matter how much i may hate it, i listen and hopefully learn.
Your sharing of thoughts and ideas has led me to do many things that make me step up and step out. this auticon for instance, this was all your idea, i just picked it up and ran with it. but it all came from you and what a wonderful thing i now see it becoming. so, write on my friend, i am reading
peace
hoops