Okay, there is a lot of discussion going on right now about Prop 8 and the other anti gay marriage amendments that passed during this recent election.  Personally, I look at a law built to institutionalize bigotry, legislate morality, and categorically deny rights to a whole group of people because we think they’re sub-norm seems awfully familiar.  Don’t we all look back at Plessey vs. Ferguson now and shudder?  "Separate but equal" and all the Jim Crow crap… it seems like the product of an ignorant and backward time to which we’d rather not return, doesn’t it?  But of course, not everyone feels that way.  So a friend of mine posted a note on facebook asking for people to explain Prop 8 to her, because she just couldn’t wrap her brain around it.  Of course… MANY impassioned responses.  Several of which came from the holier-than-thou Christian quoting Leviticus and choosing to ignore those inconvenient parts of the Bible about "love thy neighbor" and "glass houses" and whatnot.  So, I weighed in with my usual thought that, in general, it seems to me that most religions are, at their root, about love.  Judgment will come, and it’s not really our responsibility.  Someone else will take care of that.  So can’t we just love each other and let the rest come out in the wash?  At which point, this guy weighed in with what I think might be the saddest thing I have ever heard.

He said he has every right to judge because he’s Christian.  He said that Christians are allowed to judge sinners.  I was completely floored.  I have never heard someone stand up and say, "you know, actually, I can judge you because I am better than you."  As far as I’m concerned, you can disagree with me ’til the cows come home, but judging me is just plain not your job.  We’re all in this glass house together. 

I disagree with the general concept of organized religion.  I have been known to rant and rave on the subject.  I think the good messages at the center tend to get distorted and ruined by the people who run them.  But I do try to give the benefit of the doubt in terms of that central message - that most religion, and most religious people are, at their core, trying to build from something good.   But this person really thinks it is his God-given right to look at someone else and say, "SINNER."

If that’s Christianity… or really any religion… count me out.

I am not generally one to get overly sentimental - and certainly not about politics.  But here I am, the day after mainlining political media coverage from as many sources as possible, crying and cheering when the results were announced, and it’s just pretty amazing.  Here’s this man who has already inspired so many people.  And he’s on route for an even bigger challenge now.  I think the next four years are going to be nuts - and Obama himself is in no small part to blame for that.  He has set our expectations and our dreams so high, that this is going to be a bitch to live up to.  But by all appearances, this guy is the real deal.  He’s a man who believes.  A man who has worked hard.  A man who has earned his position and created his own opportunities.  He is charisma and change and hope and optimism… and those are things we need right now. 

As we watched the two speeches last night, it was interesting to see the crowds’ reactions at the mention of the opponent.  McCain’s crowd booed Obama.  Obama’s crowd cheered McCain.  Now, certainly, it’s a whole lot easier to be gracious from the winning side, but I do worry about that kind of thing.  Because the GOP has made every effort to polarize, to separate, to demonize.  It just hasn’t been like that from the DNC… except perhaps with Palin.  But that was more the supporters than the party itself.  The robocalls, the outright lies… the RNC set out to drive a wedge rather than to argue their case.  That’s why they lost.  But I hope that it is something that can be overcome.  Because I really do believe that Obama can be the kind of president who will make great strides and build something for everyone… if we let him.  

I think the campaigns tell us a lot.  Barack Obama’s campaign was based on inspiration and action.  And that spirit has got to continue past election day, or it will all have been for naught.  John McCain’s campaign was based on separatism, anger and fear.  And that spirit has got to dissipate, or it will all have been for naught.

Our job is just starting.  I hope we’re up to it.  Because I’m pretty sure Barack Obama is.

You know what I realized this morning?  In the past two presidential elections, I have voted absentee.  And sure, I’ve gone to local elections since then, and I voted in the primary this year, but today was the first time that I got to go stand in line and cast my vote for President.  AND… I got to vote for someone I actually believe in!  It’s madness!  I was so excited, standing there in line.  I was even more excited when I read the summary of my ballot, saw my candidate right there - Barack Obama.  YES!  Go me!  I’m part of the process!  I’m part of the solution!  There was even some idle chit-chat in the line.  You see - we were in a middle school, winding through the locker-lined hallways.  And on the walls there were signs every few feet with the 6th grade schedule posted, as well as a sentence that read something like: "Visiting your locker without permission may result its loss."  And yes, I typed that correctly.  I couldn’t stop staring at the blatantly missing word - may result IN its loss.  For goodness sake!  It’s a school!  I was silently pondering whether they would let me come back in later if I ran home to get my red sharpee… when the guy behind me made a comment about the sign.  And a guy in front of me chimed in!  There were other people who had been proof reading the sign!  These were my people!  The guy behind me said he was surprised some 6th grader hadn’t written in the word, to which I exclaimed, "I’m surprised I’ve managed to restrain myself!"  It was a fun morning with all these people there to do something good.  Regardless of whether they voted for my guy or the other guy… I don’t really care.  Everyone there came to do something they thought would be good for all of us… and that’s pretty cool.

I don’t usually get all patriotic like this… but this election has stirred something crazy in me.  I’m ready to crawl out of my skin!  So I’ll sit here for a while, maybe do some homework, maybe not.  Then I’ll head up to Greenville for moral support and election returns!

GO VOTE!!