I'm So Relieved Obama Is Our President

My office window faces East, toward the U.S. and is near the ocean. This afternoon I sat in my office and watched the BBC's live feed of Obama's speech. There was one of those crazy-huge helicopters flying by on the horizon and enormous clouds, indicating there would be a change of weather soon.

I teared up, I admit it. I was so nervous the whole time he spoke on that big stage, I kept thinking, "Oh my God, please, someone get on that stage and protect him," and he kept on talking without fear and only in the affirmative. He kept putting out the message that he's not the change, we, the people of this world, are the agents of change.

And I teared-up because I knew he was right, and that enough people in America had finally decided to shake-off their apathy and participate. Then he spoke about what Americans today would think in a hundred years and I teared-up a little because I haven't heard an elected official talk about the future in a positive sense for so long.

The Obama-Biden campaign has pledged to increase voluntary national service and to beef-up both the Americorps and the PeaceCorps as well as begin to develop other public diplomacy organs - I feel like these are really necessary and if coupled with large-scale infrastructure projects and a reduction of military occupations will spell the beginning of a good period for America.

Please support programs like Americorps and the Peace Corps, these programs have amazing transformative potential for both those that volunteer as well as their communities they serve. Some of the best research that needs to be conducted in the U.S. is in the nonprofit sector and these two programs are shining examples of how it goes right.

Here's a great article from last year in the Atlantic that I think pretty-well nails why Obama's candidacy is important and I suspect ushers in the Post-Boomer politics. It's a great read.