My students were all BUH? Prop 8 is CRAZY.

My boys are the same. They haven't a clue why gay people can't marry. It makes no sense to them. Of course, it makes no sense to us either, but we know the programming that caused people to think that way. There is some comfort in knowing that it Will Change, but change is taking way too long.

In other discouraging news, my parents voted McCain. They didn't think Obama was a terrorist, but just too young and inexperienced. I think she was comforted with my argument that the energy and enthusiasm of youth was a good thing with the pile of problems that need solving. They still are convinced that there will be abortion clinics on every corner, but I know better than to try and win that argument.

My main argument against the inexperience thing is that I really believe he'll listen to other people in a way that I wasn't at all convinced McCain would and Bush absolutely DIDN'T.

I was just saying yesterday that this is the first campaign that I've actually WANTED to read a Making of the President 2008 book because I really do want to find out the horrendous details of what must have been going on in the McCain campaign.

Also, because this is so damn cute, somebody put together a blog of pictures of Obama holding babies, mostly:

[link]

My main argument against the inexperience thing is that I really believe he'll listen to other people in a way that I wasn't at all convinced McCain would and Bush absolutely DIDN'T.

Absolutely. I also argued that if how each man ran his campaign was a clue as to how they would run the country we can be sure the right choice was made.

As bummed as I am, THIS is the silver lining. My students were all BUH? Prop 8 is CRAZY. Which is kind of cool. Because it means there is hope for future change.

This. I had to break the news to one of my classes this morning (they asked me point blank if I'd heard the final results), and there was a moment of stunned silence followed by expressions of confusion and disgust. Granted, I teach on the Westside of LA--not exactly politically diverse.

OK, I think Obama is smart and he thinks things through before he acts - so if he has advisers telling him something, he'll probably listen to them and base his actions on facts, rather than wishful thinking. He's also good at keeping his temper, as far as I can tell, which is a Good Thing.

And, referring back, the atmosphere downtown does remind me a bit of when the Berlin Wall fell. I have an old-ish videotape of the concert to celebrate the wall falling - Beethoven's 9th, Leonard Bernstein conducting, musicians from Germany (both sides), Russia, the U.S., France, Britain I think. In the introduction there are shots of people dancing and hugging. There's a line from the choral section, "alle menschen werden bruder wo dein sanftel flugel weilt" which came into my head as I was walking around at lunch. Translation (roughly) - all men become brothers where thy [joy's] wings dwell.

Dude, look at Condi [link]

All the AfAm newscasters last night were just glowing - Pierre Wossname, Steve Osunsame, the local Atlanta NBC woman...

What I heard on NPR this morning, I think it was NPR (might be a podcast of WWDTM), was that some of the stores listed in the Palin shopping spree info have stated taht no one bought clothes in the amounts listed on those dates. The supposition being that the released $150K amount was under-reporting and that the expenses may not even be just for clothes.

Huffpost on Michelle's dress: [link]