Coming down to the wire, and it is looking positive for Barack Obama. Observing closely and with vivid interest, my participation has been more from the sidelines than as an active campaign volunteer. I figured since we have two in our family who are returning Iraq veterans, both having served 'stop-loss', extended 15 month deployments, their contribution to this country has been enormous on it's own merit. Our sil is in Iraq again, in his second stop-loss, extended 15 month deployment. His wife and children are paying a hefty price for these long back to back deployments. Meanwhile, we have been one military family speaking out against the Iraq war since the initial invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Who are we? We are myself, a traditional and proud of the term 'military brat', and later, a young military wife with young husband deployed to Vietnam; and my husband, a Vietnam-era veteran.
I haven't been too much into donating or campaigning, preferring instead to permit other citizens carry that load. Now that the elections are coming down to the finish line, I gave my first 'donation' - small amount of $$ that it was, I found I was feeling more and more compelled to give something before the campaign finished. I wanted to be able to say more than that I support Obama, but that I actually gave a small amount to his campaign. The sacrifices of the loved ones in our family who are giving far more than $$, who are willingly putting their very lives on the line, cannot be matched by my words and that is equally true for every other soldier, marine, sailor, airmen putting his or her life on the line to serve our country.
When my sil comes home, I don't want him coming home to a country with a President and Vice President in the McCain/Palin ticket who are continuing to prove themselves incapable, uncaring and dispassionate, while proving themselves too invested in the passion of hate. In contrast, Barack Obama has demonstrated passion, judgment, and engenders the kind of compassion our country will need to persevere through the difficulties ahead. Our troops deserve a President and Commander-in-Chief who shares their passion and love of country. The returning troops deserve to come home to a country that resembles the premise of a country they believed they were fighting to preserve.
It's not just the military connection that has me avidly watching every step of Obama's campaign. It's a bit of history that I had as an eleven year old child returning home to the United States after being stationed abroad for almost 5 years of my young life. Returning 'home', put us in Mississippi in 1962 - the years of the Civil Rights marches, Martin Luther King Jr. philosophy of non-violence, the killing of the three activist students, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, followed by the later assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr, and Robert Kennedy. 'Home' where the word Negros and it's more caustic forms still abounded as 'the norm', where it was posted 'whites only' and 'coloreds' and that was considered 'the norm'. 'Home' where I witnessed hatred in it's cruelness up close and personal. I wasn't part of that 'norm' and in retropsect can look back and be greatful that I found 'home' in my country of birth to be conflicting and confusing. But I know my compassions were with the people being suppressed, even if I did not understand the reasons of how it came to be that this was considered the norm in my home country.
As an adult now, well into my 50's, I see the ugliness of that hate that I witnessed as a young child in Mississippi seeping out of the McCain/Palin campaign and it is absolutely and unequivocally not to be tolerated nor tolerable. While that is not reason in and of itself to support Barack Obama, it is compelling on it's face as reasons not to allow McCain/Palin to take us backwards to a time in history where racism hatred was tolerated. What is reason to strongly support Barack Obama is who he is as a person first, his message, his leadership, the message of inclusion, the hope of hope and a cleansing of some ugly American history as our country moves forward learning to embrace compassion for humankind.
One of the striking aspects of growing up on military bases and learning to see the world through the eyes of different cultures I was exposed to as a military brat, was that I didn't know about racial divides of black and white back home that had so much venom and hatred until I came back to my home country. Blacks, or in the language of today, African American's could well be officers in the military, and your parent's superior officer. This point of integration and inclusion ahead of the curve yielding opportunities for African Americans is made in the documentary 'Brats; Our Journey Home' by filmmaker Donna Musil, narrated by singer/songwriter and actor, Kris Kristofferson., this point is made. Another element of being what is called a 'third culture kid' (kids who grow up among other cultures, as many military brats find themselves when their parent is stationed at bases overseas) is the ability to embrace cultures different from their own and a natural curiosity about the differences and sameness that makes us human. I believe Barack Obama demonstrates that kind of quality and willingness to embrace the differences while finding the common ground - the basis and basics of what humans most want in their lives. It is a unique gift and ability and Barack Obama demonstrates that giftedness.
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