November 4th - 2008

"Anytime here in the 20th century, 1964, you find us still singing 'we shall overcome' you know your government has failed you. In fact, that's the problem with you, you do too much singin'! Today is the day to stop singing and start swinging.". - Malcolm X


I wish they were selling Barack baseball cards. Then I would buy 3; keep one, play with one, and put one away in a vault - just like I originally did with my Reggie Jackson card, my Nolan Ryan card and my Ricky Henderson card. I used to love collecting cards because it reminded me that I was alive during moments of history, and I felt like I was a part of it. Then I got older and I put the cards under my bed, and then somewhere in my closet. Then they had the baseball strike of 93-94 and I stopped collecting.

I don't know where my cards are. I don't remember how many strikeouts Nolan pitched or bases Ricky stole or playoff homers Reggie hit anymore either. I just remember we made them legendary when they achieved what no other man could at the time and no man had done before.
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When Barack wins I hope everyone puts away their baseball cards and saves them in a vault and gets on with their lives. I hope the banks redistribute their bailout packages to refinance residential loans, credit card companies are put on moratorium, the US looks to South America, France and Canada, and Germany to discuss oil, health care, and rebuilding as a green economy.

I hope I don't have to hear 'first black' anymore. I'd rather hear 'he did it.' I'm glad blacks in the US feel like they have a chance, now, but I hope they stop asking for one. I think the thing to remember isn't that he won against the odds, but that he didn't ask for anything, not for peace or equality or the right to campaign. He ran and won, like Usain Bolt, and you can test him 100 different ways he broke records fair and square and has his medal.

It's the 21st century. Now the world's economic leader and power house has elected a non-white male leader. I think other parts of the world were doing that since 21 BC but that's okay better late than never. Only took them 230 years or so.

Good luck democrats, because there is a huge poison pill served with this order of leadership. A lot of people are gonna hate you, and your banks, and your Wall Street, because it's easier to hate that than themselves. They should teach about 'no money down' mortgages and introductory interests rates as soon as they teach algebra in school, and they should teach about the unlikeliness of instant gratification as soon as they can at home. For the women, blacks, jews and gentiles of the United States, that'll do a lot more than reminding them that now anyone can be president.

All the same, big year for Barack and Lil Wayne: Young money!