The Election of 2008 Draws Nigh

In two more days the people of this Nation will vote in what is an historic election. For the first time in the 232 years since our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, a mixed race man (Black and Caucasian) will be running for and probably will be elected president.

I prefer the term "mixed race" since that is exactly what he is. A great many Americans are "mixed race" people--more than we might have ever thought. Races that have been mixed in include: Black (or African), non-black Africans, Oriental, American Indian or Native Americans, Indian from India, all of the Latino mixtures (most Mexican, Central and South Americans are already "mixed"--Spanish and any one of the native groups in those countries over the centuries--some include them as Native Americans--I have chosen to separate them since they now make up what we now seem to consider a unique "race"), Pacific Islanders and mixtures of mixtures. You might say that many of us who identify ourselves as "white" are really some form of "off-white". Either we dodn't know or are unwilling to admit it.

Back to my original thought. This election will even be historical if Senator Barak Obama is not elected since it will still be the first time a man we "Whites" have chose to label "African-American" was nominated and ran for president. If Sena tor Obama is elected, it will say much about this country and will give great hope to all people of color that you can be anything you want to be in the country, but it won't be given to you. You must work for it and work very hard. you must be willing to overcomed all kinds of roadblocks and obstacles that invariably will be put in your path. It means you must be prepared to be attacked from all sides since your religion or the color of your skin or your political leanings will surely be assailed by someone who disagrees with any or all of these things and many others that I haven't the brainpower to think of any more.

Senator Obama has made many promises that seem to promise the ideals of President Ronald Reagan's "shining city on the hill." This nation is in two unpopular wars and we have lost over 4,000 young Americans killed and tens of thousands more have been wounded and maimed for life. We euphemistically call these wounds "life altering events." We are in the greatest economic chaos since the Great Depression of 1929. Billions of dollars have been lost in investments gone bad. Perhaps millions of people have lost their homes and millions are unemployed. More than 50 million people have not health coverage. And who knows how many go to bed cold and hungry every night.

Senator Obama says he will fix these things and I hope that to be the case. Every generation has someone who comes along and often is theman or woman of the hour. In my generation, that person was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. For the first twelve years of my life, I knew no other president. I once told my Mother that I would be glad when I was grown so I would not have to obey anyone but God and Roosevelt. FDR, as everyone called him, gave this Nation hope and helped bring us out of what was then the greatest depression the world had ever known. Oh yes, we did wind up in a war that involved most of the world and millions were killed and millions more were maimed for life. But we survived it and were a better, stronger nation. Perhaps the most powerful in the world at that time.

Years later, another young man came along when our spirits were down and gave us a new Camelot in our Nation's capital city. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a wealthy senator from Massasschussets, a Roman Catholic and a hero of World War II, was elected president and with his beautiful wife Jacquelyn, brought youth, beauty and hope to our land. He was struckdownby a demented assassin in Dallas, Texas and the world grieved for his loss.

Nearly 20 years later a former actor and former governor of California, Ronald Wilson Reagan was elected as our president. Again, we had a president whose enthusiasm and zest for life gave us great hope. While I don't agree the he was responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union, he did open doors to that nation that previously had been closed. His famous, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" quote in Berlin was heard around the world and shortly thereafter a new world order came into being. Reagan--another man for a generation.

And so, it may be that we are standing at the forefront of another such opportunity An oportunity to elect a new "generational man". I hope we are up to it and I hope his promises can be kept.