election day aftermath

I've been awake now for almost 19 hours, with only 3 hours of sleep, so please forgive typos, meandering sentences, etc. The reaction in the village to the results of the US elections is not surprisingly one of extreme disappointment and confusion. In the past few weeks, I cannot tell you how many people, some strangers who just know me as la americana, have said to me, "You are voting, right? You have to vote for us because we can't. You have to vote for Kerry." English, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegians all putting their hopes on my one vote. It's a strange feeling, I tell you. I am very sad today, but I am also so proud of my friends back in Philadelphia who took off from work and closed offices so that they could volunteer with groups like Election Protection and make a real difference. The faithful spirited Philly voters came out in droves, and I just love them for it. All the folks who drove and flew from blue states to help out in the battleground states, I love them, too, and they give me hope. It disturbs me greatly to hear that many Bush supporters still believe that we found WMD in Iraq, that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks, and so on. In Republican ads, Democrats were portrayed as Bible banners and all gung-ho to set up abortion clinics in every local shopping mall. At first, I was shocked to hear the number one issue voters were concerned with was morality. The more I thought about, though, I realized my decision was morality based as well. I think that the war in Iraq is immoral; the horrific loss of life, the soldiers who are risking everything yet our country doesn't give them proper supplies. Their families have to purchase and send them batteries, body armor, scopes for their rifles, high-powered binoculars. I think making the billionaires richer while so many people are struggling to just survive is immoral. I think that access to affordable health care should be a right, not a privilege. I could go on, but I'm sleepy. I am sad, but I am just as fired up as I was yesterday. There are so many good people out there doing amazing work. I encourage people who want to support our troops in Iraq to visit the Operation Truth web site (www.optruth.org) and read what this nonpartisan, nonprofit group of soldiers has to say. With all the misinformation swimming around the airways and print media, I think it's important for all Americans to do a little research and seek out outlets that provide reliable information. One of my favorites is the Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk), but there are many others (eg, the BBC/BBC World Service). Also, check out watchdog groups like Media Matters for America (http://mediamatters.org/), who keep tabs on the major media outlets. I do believe that living abroad changes a person's perspective on her home country. With the distance, one can weigh the goods and bads more objectively. I am greatly dismayed with and fearful of the direction the US is going, but I don't plan to lie down even though I live in this little village miles and miles and miles away. As I was writing this entry, my friend M. forwarded me an e-mail from Howard Dean. In his message, he included this quote, which sums up exactly how I feel. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." We will not be silent. Okay, really must go to bed now. I have an early morning trip to the airport to pick up Big Jim, who returns to begin the Job Search, part 2. Thanks to everyone who has e-mailed good wishes and encouragement. We really appreciate it. :-) hasta pronto, mylifeinspain