Enough and not enough all at the same time. How about you?

Actually I had more trouble with the New Atheists.

Maher and friends. I appreciated them taking on the religious right, but they absolutely refused to see that the religious right was actually a religious minority. Or that other religions were actually reasonable. I think it was agenda driven. Why? Because, they totally reject the use of allegory and subtile thinking.

This happened to me, a Sufi, because while I was coming out of the closet Maher's message of disrespect was being received loud and clear by my family. They were just reflecting their culture at large, but by mirroring that attitude, it actually became a very abusive situation.

At one point my husband even told me I was not allowed to use allegories when I talk to him. Why? Because he, like everyone else, was overwhelmed and was just doing what he was told. I was the enemy. Personally, I think it was religious discrimination and irresponsible - like yelling fire in a theater, or DARE training.

I have damages and a really good lawyer, but who should I sue? Obviously only people with money. Here is a bit from the linked story, I recommend reading it if you are interested in religion.


The Harris/Maher message is as clear: the world would be better off without religion.

There is another message in the Maher/New Atheist oeuvre: everyone must think in categories stripped of allegory.

President elect Obama has a generous enough spirit and a large enough intellect so that he can do with his spiritual life, what the Religious Right and the New Atheists have not done: understand that there is no shame in embracing paradox.


Maybe... now that Frank Schaeffer has brought the issue up, I will be allowed to have my children back, or do I have to sue someone first?

I guess we'll see.

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Too many Americans had sold themselves short and didn't relaize that enough people of like mind can make things happen. And so we did. Obama had a new and flawless way of campaigning. Never bothered to respond to nonsense particularly from Palin. He refused to be dragged into the gutter. While McCain & Palin were hollering about Willam Ayers, Marxism, socialism and other meaningless garbage Obama told us what he planned to do when he got elected. He really did elevate politics to an almost dignified level. I sometimes wondered what he really wanted to say to Palin. But he took the high road and ignored her. Last night he made history and today the entire world is celebrating. From Hong Kong: "Now it's 'Cool America'". After 8 years of embarassment and shame. So they like us again. From Aljazeera: "Congratulations America". Iraq is sure that we won't let them down, and we probably won't. But we must consider our own military and some up with a fair agreement. Reality seemed to set in when obama gave his victory speech. He looked serious and well aware of what lies ahead. If his presidency goes half as well as the campaign I feel confident that we'll be OK.

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Reminds me of FDR's Theme song: "Happy Days Are Here Again." Today, the USA is back again!
The Obama-Biden sign will stay up in my front window for a looonngg time!

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I've been cautiously optimistic from the time it became clear that Obama had a good shot at beating Hillary in the primaries. A life-long feminist, I would have loved to have a woman I felt comfortable supporting, but for many reasons, Hillary was not that woman.

As I watched carefully, the Obama campaign virtually never made a false step. Even at times when I felt frustrated because I wanted him to hit back harder, it soon became apparent that again and again, he did not only the right thing, but the smart thing.
Even at times when I wanted to hear him come out stronger for a more liberal position on certain issues, I wasn't so naive as to believe that it was possible for him to do so and still get elected. So my admiration for the way his campaign was being run was total, as my admiration for the man as an individual, continued to grow.

My last fear, the one that added the "cautiously" to optimistic, was based on how deep did the (sometimes subconscious) strain of racism still run, in this country? With all the results in, the answer is clear. It's still there, but not quite as prevalent as I feared. And far less so with the youngest voters, the most hopeful sign of all.
And it's becoming more and more localized. Not literally, as in, not as specific to any one geographic area as it has been in the past (although sadly, certain areas of the South are still bastions of bigotry).

The bigotry that I feared could rob this good and brilliant man of the Presidency, seems now to be confined to pockets of haters, best defined by Palin followers.
John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate scared me terribly, for about three days. But I soon realized that she was a huge mistake and would in fact, shoot herself in the foot every time she opened her mouth. That all but the most hard-core haters and those who are still determined to impose a far right religious dictatorship on this country, would find her to be a shocking embarrassment to a national political campaign.

So by election day, I was extremely optimistic, with just a small part of my psyche still terrified that hate and bigotry would steal it all away.
Now I feel hope for my country, for the first time in a very long time. Yes. We. DID! And yes, with hard work and perseverance, President-Elect Obama can, with the backing of caring Americans, turn this country around. We just need to really hear and keep in mind his message that it will be a long, hard road. So the need for faith in the man, his team, and the democratic process, did not end with his election.
The need for faith in our democratic system of government with (finally ) a competent President at the helm, will be tested again and again. So ... onward and upward, and keep that faith, we're going to need it.

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