Hell Yeah to the Chief!

If I hadn't been completely and utterly unable to tear my eyes from the television, I would have blogged live during one of the greatest nights in recent memory. Actually, due to my meds, I don't have that many recent memories, so I'll go ahead and say it was one of the greatest nights of my life.

Tuesday morning I woke up, donned my Obama hoodie and VOTE hat (which had the Obama logo as the "O"), and headed to the polls. While waiting in line in unseasonally warm weather, a guy from a local pizza place brought pizza for people in line. How awesome! It took me two hours to get from outside the church to the table where the workers confirm your voting eligibility and give you that piece of paper that you have to take to the worker at the booth. However, after that, I got to go to the front of the line! Sweet! I didn't ask to go to the front of the line, mind you, because if I'd already waiting two hours, another 20 or 30 minute isn't really a big deal. But the kind lady wheeled me to the first available booth, where I cast my ballot for Obama!

After some regrouping at the apartment, I went to pick up my cookie cakes. One was a domino cookie with "Obama 08" in blue and white icing, and the other was a chocolate chip cookie with "Jan. 20th 2008" in blue and white icing. Then I got some cheap, but surprisingly good, champagne. After Jeopardy, it was time to watch the country turn blue.

After we had secured Pennsylvania and Ohio, it was time for cookie cake celebrations! The champagne, of course, had to wait until polls closed in the West, ensuring a glorious landslide victory for Obama/Biden! I kept randomly outbursting things like, "We did it!" the rest of the night and most of today. I don't think I'll stop doing that for a while.

McCain gave a great speech, despite a few at his rally booing Obama. Why can't these people get a clue? McCain is a class act, and I believe his speech was sincere. As much as I dislike his politics, and as much as I am disgusted by the way his campaign was run, I do have tremendous respect for him. I know he has done good for this country. I know he believes in America as much as Obama does. I know he will be instrumental in uniting the parties after Obama is sworn in. The people at the rallies who have come to think that booing the President-Elect and shouting hateful things is acceptable behavior are doing McCain and the Republican Party a tremendous disservice.

As a side note, watching Palin was thoroughly enjoyable. She looked like a bad soap actress who just lost a Daytime Emmy and is trying to look happy for the winner. I think she thought they were going to win. I think she really thought she was going to be the Vice President and then the President. I think she really thought she was going to run the Senate! Go back to Alaska where they still like you. She gave a decent interview about needing unity, but I didn't believe her. She didn't seem to believe the words she was saying.

Now let's get to Obama's speech. I know I'm not the only one who teared up. I have never been prouder of this nation than that moment. His speech was incredible. I cheered, I toasted his upcoming term, and I felt that for the first time this century, we're on the right track. Last night meant so much, and it's not just because we finally reach a milestone by electing a black man. We came together and with a resounding voice we told the nation, and the world, that eight years is enough! We are ready, willing, and finally able to bring about some great changes, to make America live up to its ideology.

And then I couldn't help but feel saddened that during this monumental occasion, our President-Elect had to give his acceptance speech behind bullet-proof glass. We've come so far, but we have so far to go. But at least now, I am hopeful.

And, finally, California: What the fuck?! Prop. 8? Really?!

I have great concerns with all of this legislation about who can get married. What's next, banning interracial marriages? Banning marriages against socio-economic lines? Of course not. That sounds ludicrous. I feel about gay marriage the same way I feel about abortion: If you're against it, don't do it. Seems like a pretty easy thing to me. If you want a theocracy, so live in Vatican City. Try as you might, you cannot instill morality through legislation. And, to all you skeptical right-wingers, especially the evangelicals, you're missing the silver lining: gay divorce! If half of marriages end in divorce, what sanctity is there to protect?

"Sanctity of marriage" is a figment of someone's imagination. If it were true, there wouldn't be divorce. Granted, some people who enter into marriage believe in the sanctity of marriage, and that's fine. I myself plan only to marry once, and I plan to marry a man, but what is right for me isn't necessarily right for everyone else. Not everyone sees marriage in the same way. Not everyone sees a religious tie to marriage. Some people get married at City Hall. If you are a church, you are seperate from the government, and if you only want to marry heterosexual couples, I guess that's your prerogative. But don't let it ooze into the legislation.