wow :) !

The answer to a very big question that was asked as this thread began way back last February has finally come.

Yes.

Following that answer comes these accounts of love pouring in from all over the world...

Louise in Brisbane, Australia

Brigitte in Frankfort, Germany

Bhaklava in Istanbul, Turkey

Cecile in Paris, France

Today the world smiles at America. And it feels good. An erection of the heart.

What a great day to be alive in America, and all over the world.

If you are not from Pixley-- Actually An Hr South of Richmond, VA, you already understand the following soapbox lecture...

The majority of the people here in America have figured out that we have many problems. Lets calls those problems collectively a "broken toilet."

Most of us who gather here knew the toilet was broken long ago. We started yelling "fix it" to the landlord. He told us, "stay the course."

But some folks still don't see the poo floating in front of their faces. Or they even try to tell us it is holy poo, and that they feel holy poo is better than immoral poo. Poo is poo. "Ya gotta fix it."

Our founding fathers were keen on the idea of keeping church and state seperate, and put it in our constitution for good reason. It was not seperate where they came from. I wish you had the capacity to understand. Just try. For me, please...

so eloquent, Kevin... and true...

you might be interested in this video...
http://www.growthehope.org/Spirit.aspx

Great vid, thanks. By the by...KJ, did you mean me? If so I'm Doug.

I'm still not under the illusion that any one man will be able to make the changes this land must do, before it drives me insane. As it stands right now, 100 million day of all of our tax trash goes for upkeep of a bomb which must never fall again. That trash could fix health care, so 2 things that piss me off would be fixed. I have a feeling there are a lot of others out there in this Broken Promised Land, if the MSM would tell them..., would all feel like I do.

Leo, No not any one man - all of us together - yes working together. The only way.

Yep, we can!

aha!!!

there's the operative word!!
yes WE can!!!

Up until this election, I have NEVER voted the winner! EVER. Do I think my vote didn't count? Of course not... and I kept at it until I got it "right." I used to think that MY vote was the kiss of death. Figured politicians would pay me NOT to vote for them

I do believe Obama will listen to and act upon a mass voice of the people.
From other places online, I have seen an outrage which boils down to the 2 party system being sold out to Corporations.

Just one of many op-eds in the Turkish press today:
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detay ... &bolum=132

Watching America take a new direction
Like many American expats around the globe, I was up before dawn to watch the election results as they were announced live on television. My son slept peacefully in his bed, unaware of the giant steps that the American public had collectively taken to change the path of history, both in the United States and around the world.

For the first time, a person of color was elected to the highest office in the land. I grew up during the civil rights movement in America, as citizens struggled for their right to be heard. Even after winning the right to vote, for years, many eligible voters were turned away at the polls, denied their constitutional rights, often while white police looked the other way.

But now, the country has banded together to elect a man who, to me, truly reflects the face of the new America. The United States has long been a melting pot of the world, with waves of immigrants arriving each year, all hoping for the chance at a better life. By now, we know all about Obama's history, his ethnic background and multi-cultural upbringing. Here, finally, is a president who truly represents the multi-faceted aspects of the America we have become over the years.

Obama has a hard road ahead of him as he tries to bring about the many changes he promised to make as he campaigned across the country. Change will not happen overnight, as we all know. But, as reflected in the mood of the voters who turned out in record numbers, there is now hope that America can now forge ahead, correct past mistakes and take a more positive role in the world.

No one expects the coming years to be smooth, or transitions to be quick and easy. America experienced its lowest level of popularity worldwide during the previous administration. Now is the time for America to look to the future, with optimism.

When my son woke up this morning, during Obama's acceptance speech, he did not realize the importance of what we were watching. Instead, he simply saw the next president of the United States addressing hopeful Americans. He does not know that having a person of color elected as the president of the United States is a momentous event. He does not understand that within my own lifetime, citizens were denied rights simply because of the color of their skin. With his broader view of the world, partly due to his life growing up as an expat, my young son simply sees a president-elect who he feels will make the world happy with the United States once again.

For me, I feel pride in my homeland. The American people have spoken with their votes. It is time for change. It is time for hope and faith in our country. We have elected someone who we feel confidence in. Hopefully, a new America is in the works. The world waits to see if we can live up to that promise.

06 November 2008, Thursday
KATHY HAMILTON İSTANBUL

Glad my vote counts. When the one you know was the lesser of the 2 evils doesn't get int it's so frustrating lol...

Very nice article, bhaklava. It is good to vote for someone you can believe in. I cannot vote in America but I can believe in Mr. Obama. i wish I could say the same for my vote in Germany, but so far for the last decades I could only vote for, in my opinion, the lesser evil.
From what age on can you vote in the USA?

Our own Bhak strikes again--great article, Kathy! Your son will come to know how important this is, and I hope you'll share the article with him when he's older. I also hope that you'll have a better time of it with people there knowing that you're an American. It can't have been easy.

Bhak, Great article and thanks for sharing. For me the fact of his breaking the race barrier is big, but not the biggest.

So much more for me it is his youthfulness, intelligence, carisma and ablility to unite people who feel so cheated by the past. America has lost the ability to trust our leaders, going way back to Nixon. And we want to trust, we need to trust. And then we got w and developed the sad shape our country is in today.

Live long Barak. You have my trust.

Brig...18 years old is the age we may begin to vote in America.