Good morning, Monday. It is absolutely beyond gorgeous in New York today- it's hard to believe that there is still much to do to repair the hearts and homes of many in our neighborhoods who see and feel the same warm sun as me, but with much different circumstances. I'm thinking of them today- each sunny day like this reminds me of how infinitely lucky I am, and for that, I give thanks.
I'm also giving thanks today for our soldiers, because they have been through so very much. Coming home with all sorts of PTSD, a tepid economy, and a sense that nothing could have prepared them for how years in a foreign and hostile land would affect them long term. I am grateful for their service and know they are fighting to protect my rights.
Which brings me to something else- I know all of you love to see what kind of shoes i like and how I would dress for holiday parties and who's cute, sexy, fun, and inspiring when it comes to fashion. I love all of those things and will continue to post, but I've been away from this circuit for a while, and wanted to write about something more thoughtful. Since we've re-elected Obama, I need to speak my peace. After all, it's my right.
About those rights the soldiers fight for- it appears to me that many of those on the other side of the fence this election year were fighting for values that felt VERY different than mine, and apparently, from many others as well. I found myself holding my tongue as people I knew, smart people, good people, admitted to voting on single issues like not having their taxes raised and protecting their own necks, with nary a thought of anyone else, which to me, is truly a disgrace. And then, the Republicans, in an effort to protect some warped notion of who we are as a country, started shouting from their out of touch rooftops about women, gays, and the 47 percent. And conservative radio pundits like Mark Levin ranted and raved and showed pure hate and disrespect to our President. And they also trotted out a VP candidate who felt more like a fit zombie than a public servant, who somehow thought listening to "Rage Against the Machine" would endear him with young voters. Not to mention MItt and his golly gee goshness and Ann, his devoted wife who came off as anything but a role model and proceeded to insult single mothers and further, women without children. Oh and the constant Christian card was not well played- I found it disturbing and enfuriating that suddenly, church and state had moved in together and forgot to tell us. Sure, I'm a liberal and there's nothing you could say to me that would make me vote for candidates that behave this way or believe a better country means taking away people's rights. It's just insane, and I'm not sure any of our men and women overseas are fighting to protect the rich or support a government that doesn't believe in the advancement of man and woman and any other kind.
And I feel that not only were Romney's campaign "platforms" (of which there were really none but bear with me) so very out of touch, they were also insulting. When you listen to these Tea Party types talk about "their" America, it's very clear that not everyone is invited to that party. I found it stinging that because I did not support their racist, misogynist, and elitist views that somehow, somehow, I was less of an American. Fuck that.
And as the hurricane came and took the focus off of the race for a week, I watched with horrid nerves as the results came in, because I was not sure of how evolved we as a country had become, though in the back of my mind I kept my social media stats in tow- only about 10 of my Facebook friends were admitted Romney supporters, so that had to somehow resonate with the rest of the country too, right? Yea, my friends are the gays and the women and the people of color, but still- aren't we all in that very diverse gene pool these days? And the answer is yea, we are, because Obama killed it on election night. Romney's notion of change was a misguided one- it was an ideal that had nothing to do with moving forward, to embracing who we as a nation have become, and reaching out to young voters who are growing up in a wholly digital world where access is everything and exclusion of anyone means absolutely nothing.
On a parallel path, I read in the New York Times this weekend about how brownstones in Manhattan and Brooklyn are being gutted and given new modern Dwell-esque glass facades to reflect more modern tastes. And many are not hating on these changes- gone are the days where keeping things the same because they've always been that way is the norm- now is the time when we can keep some of the bones and good things from our past, but rebuild for the future and a new world order. Hey Republicans, time to build a new house. Like, right now. But be careful with throwing stones as you do so...
And that's why, as I admire this gorgeous day and listen to reggae on my headphones and finish a work project I've been pummeled with, I feel so thankful to live in a country where I can still feel every bit the patriot, to feel that my rights as a woman and human and creative, open-minded individual will be protected, fought for, and upheld. And I'm happy to live in a country that believes big government does not necessarily mean we can't do our own thing, but it means we understand the meaning of "public service" to be just that- of service to all of us, when we need it, but not when we don't, as in telling us who to love or what we can do with our womanhood. Thank you, President Obama, for fighting the best fight, standing up for what you believe in, and admitting the past four years may have not gone as planned. But guess what? I still have hope, and apparently so do many others, or at least faith that we have a leader who wants this country to move forward, who will take the foundation of this old house and make it new, improved, and more in line with where we're going.
And that's that. Most likely I'll be back waxing rhapsodic about shoes, bags, and the latest lipstick I have to have. But for today, I'm giving thanks and praises to our troops, our country, and moving forward. And that's what's up this getting on with it kind of Monday on the beautiful island of Manhattan. Today I salute the US of A. Forward, friends and country folk. Forward. XO
