I stopped writing the blog because I felt the ground was pretty well covered, & I also lacked for time.
But today I’m blue.
Oh, indeed, I’m very happy about the Obama victory, & while my as-yet uncounted vote for Obama certainly didn’t push deep-red Alaska anywhere near the frontier of giving him our three electoral votes, I’m still proud & glad to have registered my support for hope & change. Blue in this case is happy-blue, happy Democratic-voting blue.
But then take a look at some of the other election returns. First, the return of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin to Alaska to take up her gubernatorial duties. As I quipped last night in Twitter,
Our long national nightmare is coming to an end; but Alaska’s is still going strong.
And then the election returns which show convicted felon Senator Ted Stevens & we’re-just-waiting-for-the-indictment Congressman Don Young possibly returning to Washington, DC. The majority of Alaskans are apparently completely happy to support & report corrupt politicians, so long as those corrupt politicians are Republicans. Maybe instead of “Alaska’s Flag” our state song should be
Gimme that ole time corruption
Gimme that ole time corruption
Gimme that ole time corruption
It’s good enough for me
Which nicely ties with the ostensibly Christian values of many of those corrupt-leaning voters, neh?
Then there’s another set of election returns, not from Alaska but from California: Proposition 8.
Ten years ago Alaska passed what I believe was the very first constitutional amendment that defined marriage as only “between one man and one woman.” My partner & I were in the midst of a very difficult year-long breach at the time, which somehow made it possible to take things a lot more philosophically. But right now… geez…. I know that amongst other good things brought by Barack Obama’s victory is the sense of vindication & deep pride that black people are feeling now — their humanity and worth recognized. I’m very glad for that. It’s so long overdue.
But in the very same election, a lot of the very same voters who voted for Obama, voted to shit on gays & lesbians in California — voted to say that their relationships are worthless — voted to keep people like me second class citizens. Just as my fellow Alaskans voted ten years ago. And in one of the world’s great ironies too, it seems that one of the demographics in California that most strongly supported the initiative to treat gays/lesbians as lesser people were the same people whose humanity & worth were so profoundly affirmed by our election of Obama — African Americans. It’s hit me hard. Okay, so it’s just one battle in the war. We’ll eventually succeed. Yadda yadda. But today… today I just want to curl up in a ball & cry.
Well, I did that for awhile. But now I’m sitting up & deciding that instead, I’m going to do my part for change.
Time to turn our red state blue. Happy blue.
