Change has come to America

I don't even know where to begin.

At 11:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, CNN, MSNBC, and even Fox News called the 2008 Presidential Election for Barack Obama of Illinois. I have never been more proud of our country. I heard John Lewis (D-Ga) speak. He got choked up as he talked about marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and about how many barriers we've knocked down just to get to this point.

Emily & I toasted with a glass of champagne as Wolf Blitzer and Keith Olberman made it official. (I was checking both channels, of course.) And I had to check with ABC, CBS, and Huffington Post to make sure it was real. (HuffPo naturally called it when Obama crossed the 200 mark.) The celebrations around the country and the world reminded me of the last scene in Return of the Jedi.

Emily was still feeding Oliver when the networks called it and when Senator McCain made his gracious concession speech. But I was holding Ollie when Congressman Lewis was speaking on TV, and I told Ollie all about who John Lewis is and who Martin Luther King is, and why this moment was so important. And more importantly, how amazing it is that Ollie has been born now and will always be able to say that he was born three weeks before our wonderful nation, and indeed the world, changed forever. Tears streamed down my face as I held on to him and watched the world change before our very eyes.

I swelled with pride when I filled out my ballot on Tuesday morning. I took very careful measure to mark the line for Barack Obama & Joe Biden. What an amazing moment!

In case you have not seen Obama's address to the throngs of people in Grant Park last night, here it is:



I offer this prayer for President-Elect Obama from the Book of Common Prayer:

O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world:
We commend this nation to your merciful care,
that being guided by your Providence,
we may dwell secure in your peace.
Grant to the President of the United States [name],
the Governor of this State, and to all in authority,
wisdom and strength to know and to do your will.
Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness,
and make them ever mindful of their calling
to serve this people in your fear;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen. (BCP, p. 824)

God bless America!

The Truth is Out There

I'm not ashamed of my support of Barack Obama. I've been a fan since John Edwards dropped out. He ain't perfect, but I think he's the most genuine person to run for President of the United States that we've seen in a long time. He's taken some tough swings and landed some hard punches.

The unspoken mystery of this election (besides the idiocy of choosing Sarah Palin) is the truth about John McCain's health. The man has had cancer four times, and he's not exactly a spring chicken. It's a tricky thing for the Obama camp to tackle. They don't want to be seen as picking on an "old man." And all it takes is one negative ad back at Obama for attacking a "war hero" (and don't get me started on that!), and it's game over.

But a group called BraveNewPAC has come out with several ads questioning McCain's fitness to serve. The bravest is the this one:




We'll see where it goes. But it brings some health facts about the types of cancer McCain has faced, and raises some real questions about his fitness to lead.

I didn't need this ad to sway me to Obama, but hopefully it will sway some others.

Take Me Out With the Crowd

Few would argue that the Washington Nationals are a really bad baseball team. As of today, they are tied with the San Diego Padres for the worst record in the National League. (The Seattle Mariners are one game worse.) They are both 58-95. But none-the-less, I will be out at Nationals Park tonight enjoying fall weather, along with Emily and her parents and sister. And guess who the Nats are playing. That's right, the Holy Fathers from the City of St. James. At the end of the night, one of these two teams will be in sole possession of the National League cellar. Here's hoping it's not the hometown team.

There is something pretty amazing about baseball. It's just about the slowest paced team sport there is. (I mean really, is golf a sport or a hobby?) The action comes in spurts, and you can usually anticipate that it's about to happen. Yet, America loves baseball. Kids of all ages play all across the country. We have Major League teams in big cities, and Minor League teams in towns of all sizes. One of the best things I did this summer was take my father to a Tennessee Smokies game for Father's Day. We sat two rows behind home plate. We could hear the conversations between the catchers, the batters and the home plate umpire. It was awesome. And we have more movies about baseball than (I think) any other sport. James Earl Jones' soliloquy in Field of Dreams always gives me chills.

Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.


So, win or lose, I'll be at Nationals Park tonight, having an adult beverage and a food item that is totally un-healthy, enjoying the one constant through the years, and yelling "swingbatterbatter, swingbatterbatter, sa-wing battah!" (just like Ferris & Cameron).

Go Nats!