"From One Great Man To Another"

Lifted in it's entirety from Father David Heron:

Statement on Obama Victory by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu:

“It’s an epoch-making event filling the whole world with hope that change is possible. It is just tremendous; it is saying to people of colour that for them, the sky is the limit.

“We have a new spring in our walk and our shoulders are straighter. It is almost as when Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa in 1994.

Obama is not there yet, in my humble opinion, but I pray he makes it to greatness.

Bittersweet

From Soulforce:

Dear June,

Today is a day of blessing seasoned by loss. For even as America's historic presidential election ushers in a new dawn of fairness and inclusivity, a majority of voters in Arizona, Arkansas, California, and Florida have voted, once again, to exclude some Americans from the fundamental promise of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Ironically, from the very beginning of his campaign, President-elect Obama abjured the politics of division and exclusion that have marred our political process by depicting some groups -- immigrants, poor people, people of color, and LGBT people -- as dangerous "others" who threaten our national identity. Obama's own story gives us hope for a more perfect, and more fully inclusive, union. But, as always in our nation's history, there remains more work to be done in order to make our most cherished ideals a reality.It appears that it's not yet bent enough toward the .

My heartfelt gratitude goes to all of the dedicated, tireless people who worked to defeat discriminatory ballot measures. Soulforce shares your pain, disappointment, and concern for the many couples and families who are more vulnerable because of this legislation. The extent of the misinformation that we faced in these struggles was daunting, but please know that your work has already borne fruit. And take comfort in knowing that those who voted for discrimination are mere footnotes to larger trends in public opinion -- which is shifting in favor of legal recognition of same-sex couples -- and to the larger narrative of American history -- which is continually refining its promise of liberty and justice for all.

IT and her Beloved were married only a few short weeks ago. My thoughts are with them and all who are immediately affected by these votes. As I said to IT in the comments to another post:

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice..." MLK

It appears that it's not yet bent enough toward the justice of gay marriage in California. I'm sorry.
....

MLK did not live to see an African-American elected president, but the quote still stands. I know it's hard for you to see that now. Your day is coming. I know it in my heart.

UPDATE: Please read Counterlight's beautiful post and listen to the lovely song dedicated to IT and BP.

Editorial From Merrie Olde England

Of course, it is only a matter of time before Barack Obama shows himself to be just, at best, an ordinary human being like the rest of us. However, between now and then, he has a window of opportunity that no other leader of a nation has ever enjoyed, not even Nelson Mandela.

Most of the people of America will not realise the level of support Obama has throughout the rest of the world, and not just the rich countries. Europeans see him as a very rare beast, in deed, a sane American. Africans are so proud of him that they will be writing songs about him for centuries to come. Ordinary Muslims hope, against hope, that his definition of "enemy" will not be automatically attached to religious affiliation. Therefore, any sensible moves he makes on the world stage will be greeted, for awhile, with an enormous amount of good will.

For example, he could help to stop the bloodshed in the Congo and bring the Iraq War to a speedy and acceptable conclusion. He could release the AIDS sufferers of Africa from the Bush/Vatican stranglehold that is killing them at a rate of 6000 a day and he could sell democracy rather than foolishly trying to enforce it. Anything is possible but he must act quickly.

There is one piece of Republican propaganda that the rest of the world does take seriously. It would be all too easy for Obama to embrace that most unhelpful of American national traits, isolationism. That would probably get him a second term in office but for the rest of us he would become nothing more than a very disappointing, world leader pretend.

By MadPriest.

The blog owner does not necessarily agree with all the views expressed here, but in the case of the above editorial, she mostly does.

Congratulations President-Elect Barack Obama!

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. Barack Obama

What a great night! What a speech! What a great gift of hope!

The whole world was watching, and we did it. We can raise our heads and be proud of our president once again. President-elect Obama ran a masterful campaign. My hope is that his presidency will be as successful, that he will use those same gifts that brought him to the presidency to turn our country around to head in the right direction toward a fairer and more just society.

YES, WE DID!

Mimi! Curb Your Enthusiasm!

I'm trying. I'm trying really hard, but I just can't curb my enthusiasm for Obama. He's a human being. He can't fulfill all my dreams. Look how 8 years of the Bush maladministration has dragged us down, nearly done us in. There's a lot of fixing to do, and it can't all be done quickly, and it can't be done by one man. We'll need a Congress that's ready to go to work and do hard things. We'll need a citizenry that's alert and watchful, ready to goad the president and the Congress whenever they seem to slack and shy away from difficult decisions. It's not just them. It's us, too.

Am I sounding too hopeful? Am I assuming something that has not happened yet? Will too many of the folks in long lines give up and go home? I pray not.

If Obama is elected, we cannot go back to our lazy ways. We must be participants, not observers.

Please Continue Prayers For Roseann

From Roseann's husband, Gary, to Suzanne:

Roseann is in the ICU. The anesthesiologist decided not to do the epidural since they were able to do the surgery lap. This was a bad decision because now she is in pain and the narco pain meds make her blood pressure drop through the floor. I am staying at the hospital with her. The surgery went well, now if the pain can get under control so she can start healing all will be well. I'm very happy the surgery went so smoothly.

Thanks for the prayers, Gary

VOTE! YES, WE CAN!

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Happy Birthday To PJ!

PJ wants no gifts. She's not been in the best mood for the past week or so, so don't get on her wrong side. She's a terrorist, you know. I'm a little concerned that she may think that a post about her birthday is a gift, but we shall see. I hope not. The last thing I want to do is contend with PJ.

Much love, PJ, but no gifts. Definitely no gifts. What she really wants is a tall, dark, and handsome president, which is exactly what I want, even if it's not my birthday.

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US Not Founded On The Christian Religion

Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary

Authored by American diplomat Joel Barlow in 1796, the following treaty was sent to the floor of the Senate, June 7, 1797, where it was read aloud in its entirety and unanimously approved. John Adams, having seen the treaty, signed it and proudly proclaimed it to the Nation.

Article 11 of the treaty states:

As the Government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the law, religion or tranquility of Musselmen; and as the states never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mohometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinion shall ever produce an interruption of harmony existing between the two countries.

A mere 8 years after the founding of the Republic and 6 years after the "Bill of Rights" was adopted, we find these words. Shocking!

I fear that certain citizens of the US will be greatly disturbed if they ever find out that the US is "not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion". To have it spelled out explicitly and in connection with a treaty with "Musselmen" will surely be more than they can bear.

You thought that Lapinbizarre was a rabbit, didn't you? Well, he's not. He's a ferret in disguise. I know, because he ferrets out these obscure bits of fascinating information and sends them to me.

Here's the link to the entire text of the treaty.

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Madelyn Dunham, Obama's Grandmother, Dies

Barack Obama with his grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham, after Obama's high school graduation in 1979.

From the Mercury News:

The day before the presidential election, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign announced that his grandmother, the woman he called "Toot" who helped raise him, had died in her apartment in Honolulu.

Aides said Obama was in his hotel room Monday morning in Jacksonville, Fla., doing brief interviews with radio stations in battleground states, when he learned she had died after a long battle with cancer.

He was described as stoic upon hearing that she had died and told aides that he was grateful that he had a chance to say goodbye in person when he recently suspended his campaign for two days to return to Hawaii.

Madelyn Dunham, 86, who had been gravely ill, was a rock of stability as Obama was growing up, giving him the American roots that would ground his teenage years as well as his career in politics.
....

Speaking after news of his grandmother's death had been made public, Obama said Monday that the evening marked a "bittersweet" moment for him.

"She has gone home," he said. "She died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side, and so there is great joy as well as tears."

In a rare 2004 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Dunham, who called her grandson "Bear,"said she and her husband offered their grandson a greater sense of normalcy. "I suppose I provided stability in his life," she said.

Madelyn did not live to see the day of what I hope and pray will be the election of her grandson as president of the United States. As Obama says, "She has gone home." But she will know. She will know. It's good that Barack had the opportunity to see her and say good-bye before she died.

O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our sister Madelyn. We thank you for giving her to her family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on their earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console those who mourn. Give them faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence they may continue their course on earth, until, by your call, they are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[Book of Common Prayer], p. 491 (slightly paraphrased)

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