Why Obama?

A few years ago my wife and I were all set on moving to Italy. Why, you might ask? We were living in a country which was at war(foreign concept for a Canadian). The streets of the city near me were turning into battlefields. The local news depicted scenes of violence every day and it was increasing. Nice people were carrying guns for their protection. Even my daughter whom I thought I had socialized better than that, owned one. Prices were going up. The country was viewed by my friends in other parts of the world as a 'big bully' and illegal immigration had gotten to a point where it can not be controlled , let alone be stopped. The education system of which we are a part of is is producing a crop of illiterates and a system where ' No Child Gets Ahead". The country returned to being in serious debt and that debt was being bought up by 'our' enemies, a situation that I would be very worried about if I were you. The great American Empire was looking like it was getting ready to crumble.
Now we can't move to Italy at this time. The government has allowed our dollar to be almost worthless in foreign countries. Definitely we can not buy a property there. We hardly can afford to travel there. Friends of ours are moving back. So to me I am looking for something different. Something that is not the norm in Washington's twisted form of government. Something that can promise me change, no matter how small at first. Someone who can help my dreams come true: The dreams I had when I moved to this country some 27 years ago. That someone to me is Barack Obama. His message is one of hope, of change, of not going with the status quo. Not a Bush look alike, not a Clinton but a man who can attempt to make a real difference in Washington. If he can turn around this country and get it on track towards hope perhaps we will not have to move, perhaps we can just be travelers, turistas en Italia. This is why it is important to me to support Obama for President.

The Vote in Texas- 'Voting twice and now I'm a delegate'

Last week I got to participate in democracy in the Greek style. Many centuries ago the ancient Greeks in Athens came up with this simple political philosophy, let the people participate in the government. In Texas we got to vote twice if you voted in the Democratic primary. TWICE, isn't that cheating. Obviously it is not. My good friend, Judge Clark who wrote the book "the Fall of the Duke of Duvall" about the ballot box stuffing scandal there would probably disagree but that's what we did. I voted once in the early voting and on the March 4election day I got to vote again, after the polls had closed.
So here I am standing outside this old historic one-room schoolhouse in Welfare, Texas waiting with some loyal Democrats to caucus for the candidate of our choice. When I moved to Kendall county 12 years ago there were probably only a handful of Democrats. Gee, Democrats don't even run for local office here. To my surprise 40 people showed up at my precinct caucus to vote a SECOND time(the ancient Athenians would have been happy). This was just at my precinct. I didn't know that there were even 40 Democrats in my entire county. I noticed several of my neighbors there. We had been in the closet for awhile, I guess and had just been outed. We signed in and waited for our written vote to be tallied- 24 Obama supporters and 16 Clinton supporters. This allowed us to pick delegates for the next convention on March 29. I was selected as a delegate, one of four for Obama. Not bad for an old Canadian boy who had been naturalized some 21 years ago. Another good immigrant story. Perhaps that's why I feel so akin to Mr. Obama.

Running a Marathon: A Metaphor of Life

Life sometimes is like running a marathon. You train for years and finally you are in the race, the most difficult of all events. For some the race is a long arduous event while for others it is an exhilarating experience. During the race you experience highs and lows, pain and pleasure, as you continue to the final finish line. The marathon, like life, is broken up into milestones. Each new mile brings a new view, new scenery and new challenges.
I will admit that I've never run a marathon, but have witnessed several. Life has been that for me. Starting out in a lower income but loving family with a father who provided as much as he could for a family of seven and a mother who was old fashioned and stayed at home to give us all the support and comfort that she could. They both instilled values of hard work and of caring that each mile of life takes you through. When I became educated and left university and entered a new mile in my life I utilized those values. When I had a child, a beautiful loving daughter, I tried to instill those values in her. I never will be wealthy but I wanted something for her that I didn't have. The Christmas' in my family's house consisted of one gift and maybe a little later in life, two. The giving was not the high point in our life but the aspect of family was. As I ran into fatherhood in my next mile I wanted more for my little girl and her wonderful mother. I worked very hard, sometimes holding five different jobs at once. I was able to give more at Christmas but I did not want to forget the early miles where I was taught to love and value family.
Now I am nearing the last miles of my lifetime marathon. I have a beautiful grandson that my daughter has given me. She and her husband have taken the values that their parents have instilled in them and have been involved in their own marathon. While they are just in the middle part of the race where there is a breaking point of 'will it be pain or will it be pleasure' they will be faced with the challenges that life puts in their journey on their own marathon. Will their son accept the values of hard work and caring? I'm sure he will.
You see, his Mom is a 'real' marathoner. She not only runs these 26.2 mile races but worked extremely hard while her husband was in medical school and in residency. She has experienced the runner's high in both areas- race and life. I, like my mother and father before me, support her as much as I can in her endeavours. I try not to miss her races and want to be a part of her life as long as God allows it. I am so proud of her whether she is in the first mile of her marathon or as she completes the last part of the race. As my life continues down the last part of my marathon I am pleased to be a spectator in hers.
We all have to run our own marathon in life. It is up to all of us to make it to the finish line in the best way possible.