The Morning After

Almost right on the heels of Anon E. Mouse (snapping and barking at them as usual, no doubt) this morning, Spartacus sent me his own reaction to Barack Obama's victory: 

-----Original Message-----
From: "Spark" le Klaus [mailto:SpartaCuss@Yabbadoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 10:09 AM
To: Aging Child
Subject: Post Election Day Thoughts 

Today, for the first time in a long time, I am proud to be an American. I am proud because the majority of Americans were finally able to see past the politics of fear and divisiveness and had the courage to vote for the politics of hope. I am proud because the majority of Americans were finally able to see past the color of a man's skin. 

Our long national nightmare of the past 8 years is not yet over, and we will be living with its awful repercussions for a long time to come.  If President Elect Obama is to accomplish anything, hyper-partisanship must be set aside in a spirit of working for the common good. Still, his victory is a reason for hope. He is an intelligent man, and the composure he demonstrated in the face of the vile campaign waged against him gives us some insight into how he will conduct his presidency. 

Though the election is over, our work is not done. The rising tide of fascism has been checked for the moment, but we must not delude ourselves into thinking it is receding. We the people need to keep speaking out against injustice. We need to demand that the rule of law be restored to America, that the US Constitution be returned to its rightful place as the foundation upon which our democracy rests. We need to demand that those who broke the law be brought to justice, no matter what office or position in society they hold. Until it is demonstrated that no one is above the law, lawlessness will continue to run rampant in our government and in our society. 

In 1980, the profound and prolific author Robert Heinlein published a best-of book, Expanded Universe, in which – amid a wide range of his short stories, and a number of sobering assessments of the United States, and the world – he uses a short-short story to paint a particularly sunny future scenario for this country, which he loved greatly. This little piece is "Over the Rainbow – ", and follows on a coldly, realistically doom-and-gloom essay ironically titled "The Happy Days Ahead". 

In this story, the United States in Heinlein's near-future finds itself with an African-American president (female, in his story), who faces down party-machine sexism, racism, condescension, and the howling of critics left, right, and center. She quickly sets into motion, into law, a sweeping series of initiatives that address and tackle a whole range of issues very much like those we face today: drugs, the aforementioned racism, environment, power, the economy, the proliferation of vague laws, inter-party squabbling, threats of assassination, international relations, technology, illegal immigration, and more. 

The results – the president's achievements – are stunning… and very much within our reach today, nearly thirty years later, so much further down the problem-road than the good admiral Heinlein was propounding on. In his story he includes a couple (fictitious) newspaper-articles representing the media's response – initially, and after a deep breath and closer look – to the wonderful turn-of-the tide the new president guides us into and through. 

One of these "articles" has a great closing line that would serve well today, too… especially against the sour-grape flavor of friend Ms. Mouse's Shapiro-article. Tuning in on a refreshing spirit of reconciliation and optimism beginning to seize that near-future United States, Heinlein's "article" concludes: 

Let's back them to the limit! Let's all be Americans again!