Obama Nation

This day is well gone despite being perfect in temperament. All day there were things that challenged and alarmed. Starting with this Obamanation guy…
Then while at Farmer’s Market hundreds of Obama supporters swept down the street. I’ve never seen any person inspire such enthusiasm and this, in itself, carries a little anxiety.
Soon after that, at the Peace Vigil, I heard from Rev. Moss that he might be fired as a Methodist pastor for performing gay marriages. If this happened he would lose his health insurance but would still get his pension. The other pastor, from a more Evangelical church, had stayed in a traditional heterosexual marriage and ruined the emotional health of his children because at the time, in Virginia, if he had divorced he would have lost his post also. In California, the constitutional right to marry who you love is under attack (Proposition 8) as is equality and justice but it is also an issue that will bring Republicans and homophobes out in great numbers as will the percolating racism.
Along with this, a young Hmong man was killed in a drive by shooting not far from where we live. The challenges of immigrant families and the specific pressures on the young have been overshadowed by a lot of other things lately. I don’t even know his story even though the flame of his life disappeared so close to me. I was glad to see the remnants of the little memorial to Shoua Her from the people who loved him.
I also spent a couple of hours in front of the Safeway registering voters, a job I thought was important. It was amazing how many people volunteered to tell me with determination that they were registered. Now if only they will vote and all their votes will be counted.