The expats are a cheering over here in Hamada as throughout our humpday afternoons we watched the results for the presidential election via the internet. Part of me is still nervous about the days to come, waiting for all the rhetoric about change and new futures to actually produce some results… I’m naturally skeptical of big talkers with vague proclamations… so what am I doing following American politics, right?… but the more working class-minded (and only slightly more socialist) approach to the future definitely fills me with some positivity and general good feeling.

The event also warms my insides with thoughts of Chicago. I wish I could have been there in Grant Park to see all the excitement while Tuesday night was taking place. Four years entitles me to feel some hometown pride, right? I can remember the days of listening to crazy Alan Keyes while commuting around the south side, trying not to drive straight into baby carriages, carrying babies, that southside mothers love to push out ahead of themselves in order to barge across the busy street. Those were the days. While browsing around the net on the history of the candidates, I even stumbled upon the fact that Obama casted his vote at his alma mater, Beulah Shoesmith Elementary School, a little school in Hyde Park where I used to work part time through U of C’s Neighborhood Schools Program. Well! What d’ya know? So, as corny as could be, the revelation made my day just a little bit more special.

However I’m not so proud of my voting state of California right this moment. Good to see that Prop 2 is a yes, but holy bullcrap, has Prop 8 won by a slim margin as well? So we in Cali believe more in the freedom of chickens than we do gay and lesbian people? How goddamn conservative is this state? If yes-voters can miss the underlying cruelty behind dictating another person’s ability to choose and making laws just to officiate how different a person should feel because of sexual orientation, why should I believe that some of same voters can empathize with poor li’l poultry with any ounce of conviction? It’s completely fucked up.