CHANGE 2

Now wait just a damn minute here. Read this:

http://inthefield.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/04/this-election-will-change-the-world/

Was I wrong in expecting far more from such a well-respected and well-seasoned journalist as Christiane Amanpour? I understand that this is a blog piece she has written, not a hard news item as such, but how can someone be so giddy about the expectation that Barack Obama will win the Presidency today? She has seen far, far, far more of the world than I ever will, has been in some of the most dangerous and depressed places in the world, has seen over and over the impact that America has globally. Yes, this election will change the world, of course it will, no matter who would win. But not in the way she thinks, nor the level.

She speaks of people in New York City waiting in long lines to vote. Does she assume that they all are well-informed about the issues, know what each candidate stands for? Why are they really standing there? How many people are standing in line all over the country for reasons that have NOTHING to do with politics? What is the value of their choices?

Let's get real for a second. Really real. Yes, there are some citizens who will take the time to appreciate the role they have in a democracy, flawed though it may be, and they dig into the issues and within themselves and make a choice based on careful and reasoned consideration. There are more who will vote for or against skin color and/or gender, will vote party line because that is what they have always done, vote for who is better-looking, vote for who tells the best stories, vote for who gives the best sound-bytes, vote because someone else tells them how to vote, vote because they think the candidate will make things better for them personally, screw anyone else or the world. This is the sorry part to the election process; that it is taken so for granted here that even if people bother to register, bother to stand in the line, they will by and large not really understand what they have voted for.

If Obama is elected, it is historic only in that his skin color was a light brown. We should be long past that issue, and on to what the man has to offer from his intellect and experience. Yes, I voted for him, and yes, I hope he can do something to help during his time in office. I am weary of Bush and his ilk, very weary, and I truthfully would rather give my money to programs that assure that the citizens of this country don't have to be hungry, without a home, without work, without a decent education, without adequate health care, that they can feel safe in their neighborhoods and that there is a good future ahead. You pay for preventative care, or you pay for damage clean-up; that's a fact. Poking the Middle Eastern hornet's nest is a deadly little game that needs to end, which means we all need to reinvent the energy wheel. Obama is one man; he is not a savior, won't have all the answers, won't be able to do a tenth of what he has promised. This is the way it is. How can Ms. Amanpour think anything else.

There's ain't no easy way out.