Barack Obama Elected 44th President And A New Puppy For Sasha And Malia

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer…

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause…..

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House…”
From Barack Obama’s Victory Speech.

I hesitated before writing this because I have no political knowledge or interest for that matter, but how could I not comment on history? History was made on 4th November 2008. The first African American President of the United States has been voted in by the Public.

I am not American, but I know this will have a ripple effect all over the world. It is not about what President Obama has planned for his country, although even in my ignorance I agree that a change will be beneficial, but what this demonstrates to all of us is a huge step forward for humanity.

I was listening to the radio this morning here in Perth, Western Australia and one of our residents, an American lady named Karen phoned in to the radio station and said, “We have finally opened our eyes, we have been colour blind all these years…”

Oprah Wynfrey a staunch Obama supporter ended her joyful celebratory comment with “the Colour Purple rules”.

John McCain is more than likely a good guy but what chance did he really have?

I’m not starting a political discussion here, because as I said I am too uninformed to stand my ground on anything in regards to this and truthfully, I wouldn’t even know what I’m talking about. I am not a black person either and all I know is what I learned about the oppression black Africans endured and, yes the world has come a long way from 1619 when a Dutch slave trader exchanged his cargo of Africans for food in Jamestown Virginia, but until now, not far enough. The exchange made by the Dutch man was the beginning of a race-based slave system which was fully developed by 1680. This event shaped black people’s existence in America.

Established in 1866 and boasting 5 million members by 1925, a so called organization called The Ku Klux Klan‘s numbers were spreading. The resentment the whites had toward liberated Negro slaves was merciless. Some blacks were tarred, feathered and in some case beaten, lynched and had their homes burnt down.

There was segregation in public places such as restaurants, buses and schools where Negros were not allowed to mix with whites. The discrimination was not limited to the States; I was in Cape Town, South Africa some 37 years ago and I remember entering an all black’s café with my parents and to my surprise being asked to leave

I have been listening to the news and I heard all about the Presidential campaign, the jokes about George Bush, the defamation of Sarah Palin, the disparaging comparison made by John McCain’s team of Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and more. I shrugged and rejoiced in the fact that I don’t involve myself in politics. Even when I became aware of Obama’s victory at first I did not pay a great deal of attention and dismissed it as an event that would not make a great deal of difference to my day to day life until I heard snippets of Barack Obama’s victory speech and had the realization of what had truly happened.

According to Kansas City.com and Tony Pugh from McClatchy Newspapers John Hope Franklin, professor emeritus of history at Duke University said, “This is one of the most historic moments, if not the most historic moment in the history of this country"

Horace Huntley director of oral history at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute stated, "I've taught for 35 years and I always tell my students, 'When race comes into play, logic has a way of exiting.' But I may have to revise that thinking after this, now it appears that logic may be overtaking the illogical. It appears there's a groundswell of sensibility."

Nell Painter is a history professor emeritus at Princeton University. "The idea that we can vote for a black person for president just really makes me feel good about the United States, given our history," Painter said. "It's like we're saying 'Look, we're not these bad old people any more. We're fair-minded.' It's a powerfully positive statement about the United States turning its back on its evil ways."

Racial issues may not be completely resolved, but what a giant step forward for America and the rest of the world!

The world can be so sad in places and unfortunately a lot of the time it is our own doing; racial discrimination is one of those instances where we forget who we truly are. We are all spokes from the same wheel and nothing is more heart-rending than the shunning of another human being as inferior.

Barack Obama’s victory is huge. It is the realization of Martin Luther King’s dream and its effects will be experienced by all people.

I used tell myself the world had evolved but had it really? Now I know we are all heading in the right direction.

Homer Simpson tries to vote for Obama



Click Here to see Barack Obama’s victory speech in full.