My Private Nation

Some more thoughts on last night's election results.

Anyone who has been through a high school American history course, or even been paying any attention at all to the election this year, knows why this is such a historic election.

We consider ourselves the richest, most advanced country in the world (I won't say we're the most progressive, because even if we think we are, we aren't; if we were as progressive as we want to think we are, we'd have stem cell research, alternative energy sources, etc., and wouldn't be passing bans on gay marriage [I mean honestly, California, you're supposed to be full of liberal hippies].} Yet other countries, some not as developed as we are, have had female or minority leaders before we have -- until last night.

The election of a minority as president, and the fact that several traditionally red states voted for a minority as president, is a good sign that maybe we're really beginning to get past these racist ideas that divided the country even as recently as forty years ago.

It's amazing to think that a black man born during the civil rights movement could become president.

We helped to do it. We the people helped to do it (true, some helped more than others [go crescent_gaia!], but anyone who voted for him helped it happen), but we as a country made history last night. Like Obama said last night, we made it happen.

I remember reading somewhere as part of all this election stuff that the next president could end up appointing a Supreme Court justice or two. With a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress, chances are the Supreme Court won't become anti-choice.

And with a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress, there may be less infighting during it all. I hope that they all take McCain's advice from last night to work together. It's about time for the two parties to start working together again.

Last night's election results go to show that we as a country are tired of the last eight years and want to move on.

It's an amazing feeling.

ETA: I've been going some thinking about why New Mexico went the way it did, considering that it's got a red state on either side and a fairly conservative population (some areas certainly are more conservative than others; the county I'm living in now went red and is surrounded by red counties). Based on statistics I saw earlier this year, New Mexico has slightly more Hispanic voters than Caucasian voters. I'm not sure if any other state has that kind of voter makeup. Obama did well among the minorities, including Hispanic voters. New Mexico is also mostly a low-income state, despite being an oil and gas and ranching state like Texas, and Democrats tend to be the favored candidates of low-income people. Given the large Hispanic population, and the large low-income population, and some people who are likely both, it's not so surprising after all that a generally conservative state voted for a Democrat. Also, we've got a Democratic Governor who endorsed Obama.

The Asheville trip should be able to become reality soon. Now I'm just waiting for the credit card payment to go through so I can find tickets and pay for them. I also need to rustle up a ride to Clovis somehow. I'm hoping I won't have to take the bus, and I should be able to get things to work if I can get to the airport in Clovis.

I hadn't planned on going to the fireworks this evening, partly because I didn't know exactly where they'd be and partly because I had no way to get there even if I did know, and I was content to watch the Boston fireworks on TV. Then after those were over I discovered that I could see the fireworks from my apartment. I started out standing at the door and watching them through the window (yes I have a window in my door) but then I moved outside to sit on the stoop out there and watch them. It was the perfect summer night, not too hot, no noticeable breeze, and the nice thing about being around here, no bugs. The only way it would have been nicer would be if there weren't a streetlight at the end of the driveway/alley/thing and there hadn't been a tree in the way.

As I sat there it struck me that things aren't as bad here as maybe I've made them seem. Sure, I don't want to stay here forever, but who could complain about a place where they could sit outside on their stoop at night and watch fireworks? A place without a crime problem, and where the streets aren't too dirty (though they could stand to have a few more sidewalks in some places). A place where it's possible to feel safe outside at night (though caution is still recommended, as it is anywhere). It's not the atmosphere of the place I can't stand, it's the fact that it's a cultural vortex. The atmosphere I grew up with. Culture I've learned to appreciate, learned to desire. And it struck me also that if I had a car, for convenience and to allow me to get out of this town from time to time, the next year and a half to two years could be a lot more bearable. It's something I hope to be able to afford soon, somehow.

And of course, no matter how I feel about the town, I'm here to earn a degree and I'm not leaving until I earn it, or can go somewhere to work on my thesis while I work, or something.

Anyway. Tomorrow has been determined as a Day to Get Things Done (tm). We'll see what happens.

This might be kind of long. Ye have been warned.

Went over to the Student Union for the Peanut Valley Festival. Typical of other festivals named after foodstuffs: lots of people, lots of vendors, some overpriced food, and not very many peanuts. It was nice to get out and walk around a little though, but I didn't buy anything since anything I would have bought would have been for Christmas, and all the stuff that looked like it might make a good Christmas present was a little more than I wanted to pay for it. Budget and all, you know. I did buy lunch though, and I am a bit tired and in less than a stellar mood probably because of this very thing. I got in line to buy a cheeseburger (a $4.50 cheeseburger, no less) and it took forty minutes for me to be at the front to place my order. FORTY. MINUTES. I have never waited that long at any food vendor anywhere for any festival. Ever. Apparently what they do is take a group of orders (four or so) at a time, work on those four orders, and then go and take four more. That might seem more efficient, but if it takes forty minutes just to be able to order (and I'd say there were less than 20 people in front of me who had to order), it doesn't seem more efficient to me. Then after I finally got my burger, I ate it and went and got an ear of roasted corn. That was yummy. And I didn't have to wait in line at all. Then I went back inside and bought a pound bag of salted-in-shell peanuts. It is a peanut festival, after all. So I spent ten bucks on food and walked around a lot. I also bought some batteries from the bookstore, which was open for awhile today because of the festival. I looked at the sweatshirts (since I want one) but decided they are definitely too expensive at the moment. Sad, when you can't even buy a sweatshirt from the school at which you're a student because you can't afford it. I don't know why they need to be so expensive anyway. Even the ones which were on the 50% off rack (which I didn't want anyway) were $20 or more. If there was one there I wanted I would have bought it, since that's a reasonable price, but like I said, I didn't want any of them.

I went to bed a little later than usual last night, and then read until I'd finished my book, and then I couldn't sleep past 8am this morning. Drat. So now I'm tired. Or it could just be the walking around among all the people. Or the bad mood could be something else entirely, too.

I had a random thought while in the shower this morning. Showers are good for random thoughts. Too bad showers aren't good for master's theses too.

Anyway. I started thinking about World War II and the "war" in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. Basically I was thinking about the fact that there's maybe a reason Bush (or his stooges) choose the words they do. He refers to an "Axis of Evil" made up of, basically, everyone in the Middle East that's not democratic (so everybody but Iraq, marginally anyway). And now it's time for a history lesson, folks. What was the enemy called during World War II? The Axis powers. And what were we fighting for? Freedom and democracy. Uh huh. Next we'll see Bush finding ways to equate himself with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose army defeated the Axis powers and protected freedom and democracy. Except, ya know, Roosevelt actually did things that were good for the country, and had Allies to help him with it. And let's not forget that he died before his last term in office was over. Bush's term isn't over yet, so we can't say as that's a similarity or not between them. And then there's this final point, in which FDR and GWB will never be the same. Roosevelt served four terms (before the Constitution was changed to put a limit on terms in office). Bush will only get to serve two. Thankfully.

Okay. I think I'm done now. I don't want to start my homework. I want to curl up and read a book or take a nap or something. Maybe I'll allow myself one chapter of Patricia Cornwell before I get started on homework. That sounds like a plan.

Oh yeah. I found that I make 6.50/hour and not 5.15/hour, so that's about $40 more/month than I thought I'd have. So that's good.