A Quotation To Live By

"Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in a human situation."

Graham Greene

A Pariah State No Longer

Today, after at least five years as a rogue state, reviled around the globe, we the United States have taken a major step towards making amends with the rest of the world by swearing in Barack Obama as our 44th President.

These images of people around the world, celebrating with America on this historic day, are overwhelming after years of darkness via the Bush-Cheney criminal regime. I shed tears of joy, relief, and hope as I contemplate how the American electorate has staved off a police state (for now) and has started down the road to restoring intellectual rigor, compassion, maturity, science, and The Constitution, among other endangered virtues and institutions, to The White House.

As President Obama (how sweet it is to write that phrase) pointed out in his powerful inauguration speech, we have a lot of hard work and sacrifice ahead of us as a nation. For today, however, we can all raise a glass to this historic shift, as patriots, and see a glimmer of hope for democracy, rule of law, and the future we leave to the next generation of Americans.

Thank you, America, for waking up.