Bernie and Pete: Where We Go From Here

Bernie Sanders denounces the looming healthcare disaster caused by Trump's "big, beautiful bill":

Pete Buttigieg is rocking the beard and stache, with a message of hope for all Americans:

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Kamala and Tim: Thanks and Hope

The light of America's promise will burn bright

as long as we never give up and we keep fighting.

--Vice President Kamala Harris

Some encouraging words from Team Blue, down but not out:

What I Say:  We all owe a great debt of gratitude to our two standard-bearers, who suddenly took on a massive, gruelling campaign they never expected to run, and did it with grace, good cheer, and unstinting effort all the way down to the finish line.  Just to think of the sheer physical effort it took staggers me - a stroll through the grocery store wears me out at this late age - to say nothing of the mental and emotional strain they and their families went through in that whirlwind campaign.

It was a damn hard job, and an uphill battle; but they took up the challenge gladly and fought to win against all odds.  That they lost is no reflection whatsoever on their courage and character.  As the old hymn goes, which inspired the likes of Harry Truman:

Dare to be a Daniel,

Dare to stand alone,

Dare to hold a purpose firm,

Dare to make it known.

And I will say this:  the idea that Kamala lost because she was a woman, or a black woman, or any other personal characterstic is utterly false:  weenie-whiney bullshit.  She very nearly did win:  the difference in the popular vote was less than 2 percent.  In my view, she lost because she wasn't selling what a slim majority of voters wanted.  They chose rotgut whiskey instead of bottled water.  It's just real simple.

'

They will have a hell of a hangover, too, when they come to their senses.  It's a damn shame that the rest of us will have to suffer along with them.

It is most interesting to study the eye-opening results of the popular vote, as well as the exit polls, broken down by sex, race, religion, education, income, and much more.  I encourage all my truckbuddies in this country and abroad to do so before you say another word about the election.  Knowledge is power.

Keep the faith, brothers.

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Trumpocracy: Reply to a Reader

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My longtime truckbuddy Frank raised some very pertinent questions in a comment box the other day, and it has taken your Head Trucker from then till now to find the inner oomph to answer them - though not particularly well, I'm afraid, for there are no truly satisfactory answers to them, being as they are merely subsets of the Problem of Evil, which has been endlessly discussed for several millennia now without a cheerful resolution, alas.  But to give Frank what I owe him and get this off my chest, here are the Q and the A for all to see:

Frank:  I have given up posting political news. I watch the news (but somewhat less than I used to) and read the news on the web. I feel my "anger" boiling up with each new artrocity and it is not healthy.

We have an "Indivisible" group here, but I have pretty much dropped out. I just have no patience for "meetings" and talk. I signed a bunch of petitions but wonder how much that makes a difference, especially as in return I get more petitions to sign...and ALL asking for money.

I've also been disappointed in the fact that organizations that I've supported with small donations seem to choose to use my few dollars to mail me newsletters and further solicitations.
It's not that I'm apathetic. Just tired and disgusted. I'm not sure what good "preaching to the choir" does, which is why I gave up facebook. I am waiting for this administration to implode, but it seems beyond teflon...perhaps kevlar is a more apt description of its indestructibility.

It is not only those in the government that irk me...the supporters of this evil so-called president are like spectators at the colosseum screaming for blood and gore every time they see or hear their "emperor" as he tosses them more meat. The worse he is, the more rotten the meat, the more they cheer.

I don't understand how such blind loyalty is even possible. Where did these people come from? Where were they educated? Did they never learn the important lessons in kindergarten? What perverted form of christianity do they follow? Too many questions.

I wonder what, if anything, will be the lesson that history will take from this era.

Russ:  It was a busy weekend here with one thing and another; but more than that, I have pondered how to reply to the excellent questions you raise. Alas, the awful truth of aging is that one loses (bit by bit and day to day) one's strength not only of body but also of mind - and also loses the patience and equanimity to deal with frustrations calmly. And yet one knows only too well that ranting, raving, screaming, and shouting will do no one any good, while the universe rolls on quite oblivious. One is reminded of the Stephen Crane poem, which I here transcribe in its entirety:

A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”

And if prayer is unavailing, one is left with pious hope as the last, dwindling comfort. But a consciousness of individual futility at least relives one from the burdensome fallacy that all the outcomes of the world depend on me. Whatever blame may be laid for society's woes and failures, it must be spread across many millions of other backs. No one person can save or break the system of things -- despite what you may have heard.

But even in the most circumscribed, insignificant life, one can choose to do right or do wrong, at least in some respects where one is not otherwise constrained. We humans are not mere animals or robots, though various fools from one extreme or another would have us so: we are, furthermore, not merely a reasoning but also a moral species. And even where age, illness, or circumstance prevent us from acting we can yet assent by voice or thought to what is right and good -- and thereby encourage our fellow singers in the "choir."

I too feel the futility of such preaching, Frank - but how much more ghastly would it be to live without ever hearing your own thoughts validated?

To answer some of your other questions, or attempt to: yes, we now can understand how the Romans were so fond of their Caesars, and the Germans so wild about their Nazis. Those moments of long-ago schoolboy amazement are now quite cleared up, no? For we have seen in our own time, with our own eyes how all that comes to pass.

But the very important point is that "these people" did not "come" from anywhere, Frank. They have been right here all along. Some of them, we are sad to admit, are our own blood kin, and former friends, and near neighbors. They are no strangers, no invaders or aliens, but quite ordinary Americans we are familiar with. Just look over the crowds at the Trump rallies - beyond the sign-waving, posturing people in silly hats, look at the thousands in the background just sitting there, smiling happily and clapping enthusiastically. They could just as easily be found, and no doubt are, at your local movie theater or football game or charity run.  They have sat beside us in school and at work and eaten from the same dishes; as Pogo said, We have met the enemy and they are us -- only somewhere along the line, they have made a different choice.

They are not outlandish aliens or horned-and-hoofed devils, or wild-eyed monsters - they are quite ordinary folks. And here I must refer you to Hannah Arendt's famous phrase about "the banality of evil."

It seems that scholars have debated what she meant by that, but what I mean is that evil is an inherent part of the human personality, always latent, always potential - as much so as goodness - and so one must be carefully taught to distinguish between the two motives, and keep choosing the latter. A difficult task of instruction, and a more difficult task of living! But not mysterious at all - you as a cradle Catholic must recall that this has been the constant advice of the Doctors of the Church and other worthies for the last two millennia, so I need not plow all that ground again. Of course many if not most of "those people" have been instructed in moral choices since childhood, but not enough it would seem - or at least not enough to overcome baser instincts and selfish advantages.

Alas, people do choose evil sometimes out of rage or lust or fear or greed, and sometimes choose it carelessly by mistaking it for the good. Or by neglecting to act, they make a passive choice through ignorance or indifference. And those three choices pretty much sum up the entire history of the human race, the long, sad tragedy of Man. So again, there is no point in my taking time to rehearse such a well-known story of cause and effect, of progress and relapse, repeated ad infinitum.

It is one of the great disappointments of growing up to learn, finally, that all the world is false. People are very often not what they seem. They say one thing and do another. Many are quite good at disguising the fact. And more than that, it is beyond dispute that our human nature being compounded of equal parts good and evil at bottom, we are often good in one direction and bad in another. One might, for example, be an upright doctor, lawyer, teacher, businessman, and yet at home be a petty tyrant, wounding one's nearest and dearest daily. Or one might be an excellent spouse and parent, and yet rather shady or sharp in one's business dealings. One might be a good neighbor, a constant friend, an example to the young and a comfort to the old - and yet still betray the highest values for the lowest reasons, even as Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage.

And this is all true of liberals and conservatives alike - your Head Trucker can testify that he has suffered cruelly at the hands of both types, and so my own feeling is, "a plague on both your houses." No one has a corner on decency and morality, and human kindness. And no one is infallible; but as some of us were taught from infancy, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So how needful it is, then, to live as the prophet advised: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with thy God.

There is so much good in the worst of us,
And so much bad in the best of us,
That it ill behooves any of us
To find fault with the rest of us.

The lesson? "We have here no abiding city . . . ." And we also know now that when our history books and civics texts used the puzzling phrase, "the American experiment," that it was not a mere rhetorical device, but a fearsome fact: democracy and constitutional government have always been subject to the weather and road conditions - they are not part of the unalterable form of the universe, just a flowering in a certain place at a certain time, like bluebonnets in a Texas field. Whether they continue long or vanish soon has always been tentative, a question that hangs in the balances. We see that clearly now, don't we?

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Do what you can, Frank, not what you can't. That's all this tired old queen can say at this point, when "can" has shrunk to thimble size. But even when we can no longer do, we can still hope, and with the encouragement of our friends, keep that flourishing in our hearts - mayhap it will bloom anew in a better place and time. That hope, at least, is something worthwhile.

Isn't it?

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Whisper with Me: Yes We Can

Well, here we are a week into the unthinkable, and the response on the part of everyone left of center, high and low, north and south, young and old, has been one of chilled, paralyzed horror and nightmarish imaginings of the totalitarian future about to begin.  Your Head Trucker, situated a good ways out of the mainstream of modern life, has taken a cold satisfaction in realizing that his own insights and fears are shared by many millions of others. 

Indeed, the breadth of this essentially supine reaction across all sections and levels of enlightened society is a telling and perversely reassuring sign:  we all see through the con man's bluster and brag, we all see the same things tucked up his sleeve or behind his back, we are not fooled.  We could not, cannot all be simultaneously deluded this way, so it must be true:  a fearsome great sinkhole has opened at our feet, and we all stand upon the very brink of a dark, putrid, bottomless abyss.

If you didn't sleep through World Lit, you fellas know that over the entrance to Dante's Hell was inscribed "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here." And indeed, the temptation to despair, and to despair utterly, is great. What we all fear is not a temporary interruption in the nation's perennial progress towards a more just society, "a more perfect union" -- as we would if any other Republican had won the election -- no, what we fear is a savage, unmitigated assault on every civil liberty and human right, and indeed on the Constitutional order itself, by a howling, bloodthirsty horde of deplorables bent on cruel vengeance against the imagined crimes of "libruls," encouraged and empowered by a narcissistic tyrant at their head whose only law is whim.

Put another way, we now fear not the ordinary classroom bullies at the back of the room with their spitwads and rubber bands, but the greasy older kids in ripped shirts and tattoos who lurk just beyond the schoolyard gate with bike chains and switchblades, blocking the way home.

With the victory of marriage equality last year, I felt, among other things, a great sense of relief, the relief that comes when a long, hard task is finally done.  I thought then that my work here with this blog -- I know it was only preaching to the choir, just one more background extra in a great crowd scene, of no more consequence in the world than an ant toting a grain of sand, but it often felt like carrying a great boulder uphill those seven weary years -- that my work was pretty much done, and that perhaps I should just let the Blue Truck dwindle down and fade away, its primary raison d'etre accomplished, imagining that a broad, smooth highway of equal rights and dignity for folks like us, and all the other despised, beaten-down people, stretched away to infinity under the sunshine.

But now we are stopped at the edge of the gaping, unbridgeable hole in the ground, with nowhere to go but backwards, the place we just escaped from.  And night is falling.  In the near distance, a coyote howls, and another, and another.  In the sky, no moon, and strange lights.  Where can we go?  What can we do?  We stare at each other wonderingly, characters trapped in a horror movie.  What will happen next, we can hardly bear to think, alone here on the ruined road, defenseless and dismayed, and no help in sight.

At this point in the script, invariably one character with just a little more moxie than the others exclaims, "Here's something we can do!" and picks up a tire iron, a rock, a broken bottle, a piece of rope -- and out of suchlike meager resources proceeds to organize a defense.  And somehow, against all odds, the terrified little band manages to escape to safety thereby.

I wish I were that character.  I wish I had a lucky hunch.  I wish I were as resourceful as Jimmy Stewart, or William Holden, or Steve McQueen.  I wish I knew what to do.  But I don't.  I have no clever plan or brave words for you all, and even my halting prayers falter on my tongue.  For I have read the history books and the tragedies, and I know what comes in the next act, barring some unlikely deus ex machina. 

And I fully understand now what terrified people felt in other times, other countries, facing other disasters, praying that they might be averted, but then -- "that which they greatly feared came upon them."  The ways of God are strange, and His purposes beyond knowing, we are taught; but for the faithful, no defeat is final, they say.  Cold comfort now, in the gathering mists.  Despair is a great sin, perhaps the greatest of all -- but how to resist it?

I am old now, and tired, effectively disabled and impoverished.  I cannot march in the streets or carry signs or block traffic.  My body and my faith are weak.  And I have no sure answers.  But I offer these thoughts, for whatever worth they have.

In some other movie, there is no one wielding a tire iron, but someone says quietly, "Pull yourselves together.  Let's think this through."  And that is what I say to my truckbuddies and readers now.  For as yet, despite many ugly words and even threats, there is no irreversible action against us.  There is yet time to figure out a plan, a means of resistance, an escape route:  something other than silent, spineless submission, which would betray our proud heritage as Americans, the champions of liberty and justice for all.  We are not entirely overthrown yet -- and perhaps, please God, we never shall be.  For we are also taught that God helps those who help themselves.

For one thing, while the institutions of the Republic still exist and function as they should - that is to say, the courts, the legislatures, the police, and essential services -- we have recourse to them, and we must make quick and effective use of them in every instance of tyranny or terror. We have not come so far and fought so hard, these fifty years, to run from battle now at the first trumpet blast.

We can also organize and strategize at the grassroots all over the country, and discover who among us are those Jimmy Stewarts and other sensible, courageous leaders to point the way ahead.

We can speak the truth and call out every lie.  We can cherish facts and ignore rumors.  We can succor those who struggle, and comfort those who weep.

And even if it be that the first blows do not fall on our heads, we can speak up in defense of those groups and individuals who are attacked, and defend them as best we can -- for it is not a question of "our group" or "their group" but "Americans all."  Remember that tyrants like to pick off their victims one at a time, and meanwhile pit one group against another.  But we must not be lulled into a false sense of security - solidarity is the watchword.

And last, we can keep calm and carry on, living our lives with unbowed heads and remembering that no tyranny lasts forever; indeed, tyrants are somewhat more likely to die sooner than later, as we recall from our history books.  And no blackhearted, jackbooted regime could flourish indefinitely on American soil, watered long since by the blood of patriots. Less than a quarter of the adult population voted for this new order, and some of them may soon repent their choice; we may feel friendless and alone, but we are not.  Our friends and allies are legion, and will perhaps be found even in the most unlikely places.

It may be that this generation of Americans, red and yellow, black and white, male and female, straight and gay, once again has a mysterious rendezvous with destiny.  Nor shall we turn from the challenge, in whatever form it takes, I believe.  We are Americans, born to freedom and not slavery.  We will not go quietly to the slaughter.

We are not as strong, as canny, as resourceful as our forefathers, perhaps, for the abundant comforts and distractions of modern life have softened us all -- but what our forebears were, we can learn to be once again, as necessity requires.  The other side may have the guns - but we have our wits, and the right on our side, and the will to endure, and to prevail. 

Tell me, brothers, we are not so soft that even at this late hour we can't cowboy up to defend ourselves and our liberties and our rights with wit and grit, by one means or another. Tell me again that love wins out and conquers all. Tell me, friends, that no matter how dark the night, we can find a path to safety and freedom together.

It's okay to be afraid.  I am too.  So give me your hands and say it, whisper it with me, guys, as we huddle here in the headlights that pierce the night air:  Yes we can.  Yes we can.  Yes we can.

Can't we? 

Obama: "We Are Stronger Together"

President Obama last night at the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia made an impassioned endorsement of Hillary Clinton and delivered a ringing tribute to the American character at its finest.

Excerpts:

So tonight, I'm here to tell you that yes, we still have more work to do. More work to do for every American still in need of a good job or a raise, paid leave or a decent retirement; for every child who needs a sturdier ladder out of poverty or a world-class education; for everyone who hasn't yet felt the progress of these past seven and a half years. We need to keep making our streets safer and our criminal justice system fairer; our homeland more secure, our world more peaceful and sustainable for the next generation. We're not done perfecting our union, or living up to our founding creed – that all of us are created equal. All of us are free in the eyes of God.

That work involves a big choice this November. And it's fair to say, this is not your typical election. It's not just a choice between parties or policies; the usual debates between left and right. This is a more fundamental choice – about who we are as a people, and whether we stay true to this great American experiment in self-government.

Look, we Democrats have always had plenty of differences with the Republican Party, and there's nothing wrong with that; it's precisely this contest of ideas that pushes our country forward.

But what we heard in Cleveland last week wasn't particularly Republican – and it sure wasn't conservative. What we heard was a deeply pessimistic vision of a country where we turn against each other, and turn away from the rest of the world. There were no serious solutions to pressing problems – just the fanning of resentment, and blame, and anger, and hate.

And that is not the America I know.

The America I know is full of courage, and optimism, and ingenuity. The America I know is decent and generous. Sure, we have real anxieties – about paying the bills, and protecting our kids, caring for a sick parent. We get frustrated with political gridlock, and worry about racial divisions; we are shocked and saddened by the madness of Orlando or Nice. There are pockets of America that never recovered from factory closures; men who took pride in hard work and providing for their families who now feel forgotten; parents who wonder whether their kids will have the same opportunities that we had.

All that is real. We are challenged to do better; to be better. But as I've traveled this country, through all fifty states; as I've rejoiced with you and mourned with you, what I have also seen, more than anything, is what is right with America. I see people working hard and starting businesses; I see people teaching kids and serving our country. I see engineers inventing stuff, doctors coming up with new cures. I see a younger generation full of energy and new ideas, not constrained by what is, ready to seize what ought to be.

And most of all, I see Americans of every party, every background, every faith who believe that we are stronger together – black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American; young, old; gay, straight, men, women, folks with disabilities, all pledging allegiance, under the same proud flag, to this big, bold country that we love. That's what I see.

That's the America I know. And there is only one candidate in this race who believes in that future, has devoted her life to that future; a mother and grandmother who would do anything to help our children thrive; a leader with real plans to break down barriers, and blast through glass ceilings, and widen the circle of opportunity to every single American – the next President of the United States, Hillary Clinton. . . .

And then there's Donald Trump. Don't boo. Vote. The Donald is not really a plans guy. He's not really a facts guy, either. He calls himself a business guy, which is true, but I have to say, I know plenty of businessmen and women who've achieved remarkable success without leaving a trail of lawsuits, and unpaid workers, and people feeling like they got cheated.

Does anyone really believe that a guy who's spent his 70 years on this Earth showing no regard for working people is suddenly going to be your champion? Your voice? If so, you should vote for him. But if you're someone who's truly concerned about paying your bills, if you're really concerned about pocketbook issues and seeing the economy grow, and creating more opportunity for everybody, then the choice isn't even close. If you want someone with a lifelong track record of fighting for higher wages, and better benefits, and a fairer tax code, and a bigger voice for workers, and stronger regulations on Wall Street, then you should vote for Hillary Clinton. . . .

America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump.

In fact, it doesn't depend on any one person. And that, in the end, may be the biggest difference in this election – the meaning of our democracy.

Ronald Reagan called America "a shining city on a hill." Donald Trump calls it "a divided crime scene" that only he can fix. It doesn't matter to him that illegal immigration and the crime rate are as low as they've been in decades, because he's not actually offering any real solutions to those issues. He's just offering slogans, and he's offering fear. He's betting that if he scares enough people, he might score just enough votes to win this election.

And that's another bet that Donald Trump will lose. And the reason he'll lose it is because he's selling the American people short. We're not a fragile. We're not a frightful people. Our power doesn't come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order as long as we do things his way. We don't look to be ruled. Our power comes from those immortal declarations first put to paper right here in Philadelphia all those years ago; We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that We, the People, can form a more perfect union.

That's who we are. That's our birthright – the capacity to shape our own destiny. That's what drove patriots to choose revolution over tyranny and our GIs to liberate a continent. It's what gave women the courage to reach for the ballot, and marchers to cross a bridge in Selma, and workers to organize and fight for collective bargaining and better wages.

America has never been about what one person says he'll do for us. It's about what can be achieved by us, together, through the hard, and slow, and sometimes frustrating, but ultimately enduring work of self-government. . . .

America has changed over the years. But these values that my grandparents taught me – they haven't gone anywhere. They're as strong as ever; still cherished by people of every party, every race, every faith. They live on in each of us. What makes us American, what makes us patriots, is what's in here. That's what matters. And that's why we can take the food and music and holidays and styles of other countries, and blend it into something uniquely our own. That's why we can attract strivers and entrepreneurs from around the globe to build new factories and create new industries here. That's why our military can look the way it does, every shade of humanity, forged into common service. That's why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end.

That is America. Those bonds of affection; that common creed. We don't fear the future; we shape it, we embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own.

Full text here.

Convention Recap: Three Speeches

For reasons I'll explain in a later post, I missed watching the convention this week, but overnight here I've been catching up with the major speeches and things. Probly all you boys have seen these already, but in case you missed them too, here's my three favorite speeches from the convention.

1. Zach Wahls pays a short but fervent tribute to gay families and "My Two Moms":



Money quote:

Mr. Romney, my family is just as real as yours.

2. Bill Clinton demonstrates that he still has the golden tongue when it comes to oratory, and teaches the Republicans a little something about arithmetic:



Money quote:

Don’t you ever forget, when you hear them talking about this, that Republican economic policies quadrupled the national debt before I took office, in the 12 years before I took office, and doubled the debt in the eight years after I left, because it defied arithmetic.

It was a highly inconvenient thing for them in our debates that I was just a country boy from Arkansas and I came from a place where people still thought two and two was four.

It’s arithmetic. We simply cannot afford to give the reins of government to someone who will double-down on trickle-down.

Now, think about this. President Obama’s plan cuts the debt, honors our values, brightens the future of our children, our families, and our nation. It’s a heck of a lot better. It passes the arithmetic test and, far more important, it passes the values test.

My fellow Americans, all of us in this grand hall and everybody watching at home, when we vote in this election, we’ll be deciding what kind of country we want to live in. If you want a winner-take- all, you’re-on-your-own society, you should support the Republican ticket. But if you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibility, a we’re-all-in-this-together society, you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

3. The honeymoon being long over now, there's not the same excitement about Obama's campaign this time around - but he still had your Head Trucker in happy tears by the time he finished:




The money quote, which references the gays three times, among other things:

We don’t think the government can solve all our problems. But we don’t think that the government is the source of all our problems, any more than are welfare recipients, or corporations, or unions, or immigrants, or gays, or any other group we’re told to blame for our troubles.

Because, America, we understand that this democracy is ours.

We, the People, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which asks only what’s in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.

As citizens, we understand that America is not about what can be done for us. It’s about what can be done by us, together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. That’s what we believe.

So you see, the election four years ago wasn’t about me.

It was about you. My fellow citizens, you were the change.

You’re the reason there’s a little girl with a heart disorder in Phoenix who’ll get the surgery she needs because an insurance company can’t limit her coverage.

You did that.

You’re the reason a young man in Colorado who never thought he’d be able to afford his dream of earning a medical degree is about to get that chance.

You made that possible.

You’re the reason a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledged allegiance to our flag will no longer be deported from the only country she’s ever called home, why selfless soldiers won’t be kicked out of the military because of who they are or who they love; why thousands of families have finally been able to say to the loved ones who served us so bravely: “Welcome home, welcome home.”

You did that. You did that.

If you turn away now--if you turn away now, if you buy into the cynicism that the change we fought for isn’t possible, well, change will not happen. If you give up on the idea that your voice can make a difference, then other voices will fill the void: the lobbyists and special interests; the people with the $10 million checks who are trying to buy this election, and those who are making it harder for you to vote; Washington politicians who want to decide who you can marry, or control health care choices that women should be making for themselves.

Only you can make sure that doesn’t happen. Only you have the power to move us forward.

Those of you who watched the convention live will recall that after the President and his family took their bows, they were joined onstage by the Vice-President and his family - and the song playing at that time was this one by another pair of your Head Trucker's favorites, Brooks and Dunn. This song sums up all that America means to me in these two simple lines:

We all get a chance,
Everybody gets to dance

I hope it means something to you fellas, too.

A Knock at Midnight

Midnight is a confusing hour when it is difficult to be faithful. The most inspiring word that the church must speak is that no midnight long remains. The weary traveller by midnight who asks for bread is really seeking the dawn. Our eternal message of hope is that dawn will come. Our slave foreparents realized this. They were never unmindful of the fact of midnight, for always there was the rawhide whip of the overseer and the auction block where families were torn asunder to remind them of its reality. When they thought of the agonizing darkness of midnight, they sang:

   Oh, nobody knows de trouble I’ve seen,
   Glory Hallelujah!
   Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down,
   Oh, yes, Lord,
   Sometimes I’m almost to de groun’,
   Oh, yes, Lord,
   Oh, nobody knows de trouble I’ve seen,
   Glory Hallelujah!

Encompassed by a staggering midnight but believing that morning would come, they sang:

   I’m so glad trouble don’t last alway.
   O my Lord, O my Lord, what shall I do?

Their positive belief in the dawn was the growing edge of hope that kept the slaves faithful amid the most barren and tragic circumstances.

Faith in the dawn arises from the faith that God is good and just. When one believes this, he knows that the contradictions of life are neither final nor ultimate. He can walk through the dark night with the radiant conviction that all things work together for good for those that love God. Even the most starless midnight may herald the dawn of some great fulfillment.

This excerpt from Dr. King's great sermon "A Knock at Midnight" spoke to me this week, and helped me, here in my own particular midnight.




Honk to Grandmère Mimi at Wounded Bird.
Night street scene of Stanley, Virginia, by O. Winston Link, 1956.

Dover Beach Revisited

Well guys, I've tried to think of something to blog about today, but even though I've found several things that are worth blogging here and here and here - criminy, I just don't feel up to the task.

There are some days, and more and more of them it seems, when all comment seems futile; as if I've got my finger in a dike that is being battered to pieces by a raging ocean on every side.

Not that I've ever believed for a minute that my obscure scribblings could make any more difference to the world than a very small pebble skipped across the surface of a very large lake.  But still, it would be nice to think that one's voice is part of a greater chorus swelling toward a tonic note of peace and harmony - a song worth singing.

Rather than a muffled cry "on a darkling plain, swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, where ignorant armies clash by night."

When I was a wee lad, in the era of Telstar - amazing thing - all the predictions of the 21st century were of sweetness and light, I well recall.

Even so late as 2008, as all you will recall, there was a sense that things were really, truly, finally going to Change for the better.

Alas, it seems not.  Or not yet, anyway.  Who knows when, as humanity - that strange, obnoxious compound of good and evil - continues its blind, lurching path towards . . . whatever. 

And here I could list a lot of examples to illustrate just what I mean.  But I think you guys know what I mean without the list.  We could each make our own lists, and then what would we have - something to cry over, but what good would that do.

What good does anything do, but time and love? Or time alone - if loves are few.

In the face of the world's senselessness, I am speechless today.  And yet, no matter how bitter the taste of life, we cannot allow the note of goodness in the soul to fall utterly silent, even if words fail.  So I present to you, my truckbuddies, this song without words - and I hope it brings some slim ray of comfort to your hearts today, as it does to mine.

Lifeboat Talk

From Andrew Sullivan:

"You may be certain that the world is heading for destruction, but it's a good thing, a moral thing, to behave as though there's still hope. Hope is as contagious as despair: your hope, or show of hope, is a gift you can give to your neighbour, and may even help to prevent or delay the destruction of his world,"- Primo Levi, 1985

The State of the Union, 2010

9:24 p.m., Texas time: some reflections on what I particularly noted in the President's address to Congress, which he just concluded. The New York Times has the full text here; curiously enough, I couldn't find it at whitehouse.gov.

First of all, listening to him speak so honestly and directly, so clearly and rationally, well, I have to tell you, boys - I felt some of that thrill once more that I felt on Election Night, 2008, and on Inauguration Day last year.  And I thanked God once again that we have such a brilliant, eloquent, and thoroughly admirable man as our President; someone to be proud of, very proud, down the long annals of American history.

Now you fellas know I have at times been critical of Mr. Obama's words and deeds, or the lack thereof, in this past year, and I'll continue to criticize when and where I think it deserved.  But that's my privilege as an American, which I bought with my vote; and it's your privilege too, under a free government ruled by laws, not men.

Overall, I thought it was a very good speech; could have been a little more fiery, but the tone seemed noticeably more assertive than in some speeches.  A couple of deadpan-humor lines I appreciated:

To Congress, on working together:  "Let's use common sense.  A novel idea." 

Another laugh line, about the bank bailout:  "I hated it.  You hated it.  It was about as popular as a root canal."

After speaking about American efforts to help Haiti, and support people in other countries:  "America must always stand on the side of freedom and human dignity."

"We abide by the notion that all are created equal, no matter who you are or what you look like.  If you abide by the law, you should be protected by it.  If you adhere to our common values, you should be treated no different than anyone else."

"Our administration has had some setbacks in the past year, some of them deserved; but nothing compared to what many families are going through.  What keeps me going is knowing that the spirit of determination and optimism, the fundamental decency at the core of the American people lives on."

I especially like the vigor of his concluding words, delivered with some of that old fired-up, ready-to-go spirit he showed in the campaign:

"We have finished a difficult year.  We have come through a difficult decade.  But a new year has come.  A new decade stretches before us.  We don't quit.  I don't quit.  Let's seize this moment - to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more."

A couple of surprises, for me anyway:  he plans to get more nuclear plants built.  I know there's always a risk with that, but how else can we realistically meet the nation's energy needs?

And he wants legislation to forgive your student loans after 20 years, 10 if you go into some unspecified "public service" jobs; and he wants to end the privileged (or should I say bloodsucking) role of banks in giving student loans (I well remember the sons of bitches charged me 9 percent on mine) and to increase Pell Grants, which in my day were called Basic Grants; and increase every household's tax credit for college education:  "no one should go broke because they chose to go to college."  A-fucking-men to that. 

And of course I applauded when he said, "This year, I will work with Congress and the military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.  Because it's the right thing to do." 

Oh my God, I have lived to see this day:  not only did the President of the United States mention gay people in his State of the Union address, he also openly acknowledged their human worth as well as their patriotism.  You young'uns under 40 cannot know how thrilling, how deeply moving that is for us guys who vividly remember an America where the word "homosexual" was damn near unpronounceable - almost always spoken, if at all, in a low whisper by straight people:  an ugly, repellent, shameful thought.

As I quoted from Andrew Sullivan the other day, it behooves us even in the midst of our struggles for equal rights, always to be "insanely happy" that we are living at one of the rare periods in human history when being gay is not a ticket to the gallows or the stake.

But back to the President's address:  I was disappointed that he did not speak more forcefully about getting healthcare reform passed, specifically, though he did call for the parties to keep working to pass the legislation.  But I did appreciate very much his acknowledging that Americans are fed up with the totally irresponsible behavior of banks, corporations, the media, and Congress.  And I liked very much that he took both parties to task: 

To Democrats, I would remind you that we have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills. And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that sixty votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town, then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions.

All I could think was, my God:  an adult in the house.  Finally.  A responsible parent.  Or at least, a fair but firm schoolmaster. 

Well, God bless him.  What a helluva tough job he has, made doubly or triply worse - as he reminded the audience - by the financial and military mess made by his predecessor.

And though I reserve the right to criticize, I did ask myself:  if it were me, standing at that podium in his place, just what in the world would I do, what could I do, that would be a bit better?

I had to admit - not a damn thing.  Because the task is beyond my powers and above my comprehension in many ways.

But I do believe Obama is up to the task.  Certainly much more, way much more than his predecessor, for which we can all thank God heartily.  Obama acknowledged tonight that he has made some mistakes in the past year, and no doubt, being human, he will make some more.

But fellas - when all is said and done, I still have hope for this country as long as Obama is in the White House.  And I am still so damn proud that this intelligent, moral, compassionate guy, this thoroughly decent man, is my President.

You should be too.

A Year Ago Tonight

This is our moment.  This is our time.

Change has come to America.

Yes, we can!

Remember?

 

More pics and video below the jump.

State of the Nation

The full video and full text of the President's State of the Nation address that he delivered tonight at the Capitol are available at the White House blog. For some reason, the video and audio don't begin until about the 2:40 mark. If you want to see just parts of it, go to the CNN website where the speech has been divided into segments.

A few observations of mine:

- Before the President entered the House chamber, he was preceeded by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, the Supreme Court, and the Cabinet. It was very touching to see how the members of the House and Senate cheered ailing Justice Ginsberg as she entered the chamber.

- Hillary, all pretty in pink, got to do a bit of a star turn when she came down the aisle, receiving some cheers herself, and seemed to be in full-throttle campaign mode once again, meeting and greeting.

- The First Lady got a big ovation when she entered the gallery, even though her entrance was not announced by the Speaker. She didn't bring the girls with her; no doubt they were watching it on TV at home with grandma.

- Every time the camera showed John McCain, his expression seemed to be "this just totally bites my ass big time." Too bad, John.

- The President was given a tumultuous welcome when he arrived, which was only to be expected. I thought there was really a bit too much crowding and jostling, with cameramen in the thick of it, snapping pictures only inches away from the President. It seemed more like a barn dance than a state occasion; and after all was said and done, Congressmen and -women delayed the President's exit from the House by at least 15 minutes, asking him to autograph their programs. Please, save that for the Academy Awards, people.

- No mention of teh gayz; but the President was at his inspiring, fire-em-up best, full of energy and elegance, hope and optimism. In other words, a real leader, a real President - not just a sham one.

- Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal gave the Republican response to the President's remarks afterwards. I'd never heard him talk before, and he is a good speaker. But he also seemed to have just arrived from another planet far, far away, without having heard a single word the President had said; and Jindal seemed to think the same tired old Republican platitudes about small government and more tax cuts were bright ideas - instead of just wildly absurd, given where the country is right now, and all we've been through. I thought the Mississippi River ran through Louisiana, not de Nile, but guess I was wrong.

Some of my favorite lines from the President's address:

While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this:

We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before. . . .

We have lived through an era where too often, short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election. A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day.

Well that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here.

Now is the time to act boldly and wisely – to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. Now is the time to jumpstart job creation, re-start lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. . . .

Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year. . . .

I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country – and this country needs and values the talents of every American. . . .

I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education. . . .

We will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas. . . .

In order to save our children from a future of debt, we will also end the tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. But let me perfectly clear, because I know you’ll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people: if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime. In fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut – that’s right, a tax cut – for 95% of working families. And these checks are on the way. . . .

And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away. . . .

As we meet here tonight, our men and women in uniform stand watch abroad and more are readying to deploy. To each and every one of them, and to the families who bear the quiet burden of their absence, Americans are united in sending one message: we honor your service, we are inspired by your sacrifice, and you have our unyielding support. To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases the number of our soldiers and Marines. And to keep our sacred trust with those who serve, we will raise their pay, and give our veterans the expanded health care and benefits that they have earned. . . .

To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend – because there is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists – because living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture. . . .

As we stand at this crossroads of history, the eyes of all people in all nations are once again upon us – watching to see what we do with this moment; waiting for us to lead.

Those of us gathered here tonight have been called to govern in extraordinary times. It is a tremendous burden, but also a great privilege – one that has been entrusted to few generations of Americans. For in our hands lies the ability to shape our world for good or for ill. . . .

I know that we haven’t agreed on every issue thus far, and there are surely times in the future when we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed. That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months, and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground.

And if we do – if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis; if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity; if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then someday years from now our children can tell their children that this was the time when we
performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, "something worthy to be remembered." Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

End of the Nightmare

As I look forward to Obama's inauguration tomorrow, Gerald Ford's words at his swearing-in keep echoing in my mind:

My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.

Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. But there is a higher Power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy.

As we bind up the internal wounds of Watergate, more painful and more poisonous than those of foreign wars, let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and of hate. . . .

With all the strength and all the good sense I have gained from life, with all the confidence my family, my friends, and my dedicated staff impart to me, and with the good will of countless Americans I have encountered in recent visits to 40 States, I now solemnly reaffirm my promise I made to you last December 6: to uphold the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right, and to do the very best I can for America.

God helping me, I will not let you down.

It was not Ford's fate to go down in history as one of the great Presidents; by the time the next election rolled around, the country was more than ready to chuck the Republicans and vote a Democrat into the White House.

But he was what we needed at that unhappy point in time: a strong, solid, steady man, and an honorable one. A sturdy bridge from one era to the next.

We have much greater hopes for Obama, of course, and for the bright future that beckons to us now, as we turn away from the death, destruction, and despotism of the last Presidency.

Obama is fond of quoting Lincoln, as he's already done many times. No doubt he will have some very apt quote from Honest Abe in tomorrow's inaugural address.

But I wouldn't be the least bit surprised, or disappointed, if he quoted good old Jerry too:

My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. . . .

Damn it, that chokes me up just typing the words.

Good night guys. See you tomorrow - in the ObamaNation!

Gay VIPs on Obama # 5867

Time Magazine cover portrait by Shepard Fairey

Looks like it will be a while before Rex Wockner gets around to posting my response to "I ask gay VIPs how they feel about the new president and what they think he will accomplish for GLBT people," since he's only up to #25 on his blog - Bruce Vilanch.

Actually, I'm still waiting to get Rex's email. Guess the internet tubes iz all clogged up with the inaugural and shit right now.

So here's your Head Trucker's thoughts; just wanted all my Truckbuddies to read it here first:

How do I feel about Obama? On one level, ecstatic. I know it's a great, joyful moment for African-Americans and all that, but when I look at him, I don't see a black President. I see my President. My leader, someone who's on my side. Who cares about me, and my life. Been way too long feeling like the leader of my country is on the other side of a great big wall, fencing me out. But now I don't feel a disconnect between me and my country; I've never felt so proud to be an American as I do right now.

But on another level, as Bishop Robinson said in his prayer yesterday, I see Obama as a mortal man, not a Messiah. I've lived too long to be fooled into that kind of thinking about anybody. He's going to make mistakes, he's going to disappoint people, circumstances will come up that block his best efforts, and of course despite all the fine talk about bringing Change to Washington, he will have to play political games sometimes. That's simply reality. Nobody gets it right all the time. You go back and read about Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Kennedy, etc., they all made their screw-ups and stumbles too. It's the human condition.

I had great hopes for Clinton, but he was in the long run a big disappointment, though infinitely better than the guy who succeeded him. Obama won't do everything I would like to see him do, both because he is, like every other man and woman, a flawed and fallible human being; and also because he is President of a republic, not an absolute monarch or dictator, so his powers are limited.

But I foresee that he will do some good, even great things both for the gays and for the whole country. I expect that by the time he leaves office 8 years from now - and please God the unthinkable apprehensions of danger so many of us feel for him but are afraid to say out loud will not come to pass - that by then we will have universal healthcare in this country, an end to the imperialistic wars, a stabilized and prosperous economy, a return to constitutional government, better friendships and dialogues abroad, the repeal of DADT and DOMA, the passage of ENDA, marriage equality or civil unions in most states, federal tax and pension benefits for gay couples, immigration rights ditto, and a new atmosphere in the land of liberty, justice, and respect for all people, for individuals of every race, color, gender, and orientation.

But most of all, I hope to see a new spirit at work in the gay community, positive, effective, constructive, non-violent, committed to working for change and practicing tolerance and respect worthy of free men and women. Creating a vision of gay life that means being open, honest, contributing members of the whole community of Americans, an integrated life that gives young gays and lesbians something to aspire to, be proud of. Not a life hidden away, secret, frustrated, spent sitting on a barstool, drinking, drugging, and tricking. As so many lives of my generation and the ones before us have been spent. Instead, for the generations who come after us, a real life, a full, free, honest, happy one, a life in the sun, not the shadows.

Like the man said, We are the ones we've been waiting for. That will be the new President's greatest contribution to this nation, I think: empowering individuals and communities to take charge of their lives and make changes for the better. He always talks about what we will do, not what he will do. For that alone, he will go down in history as one of our greatest presidents, I have no doubt. Obama's inauguration will the moment when the sun comes out again after a long, dark winter. Then it will be our time to bloom and grow as a community, as a nation, as one people. And how I long to see the light of that day.

Two Planes

Or two plane crashes, I should say to be more exact. A very good contrast was made on one of my Truckbuddies' blogs the other day, which I can't re-find now (you know who you are, holler at me), but it made the point about the 9/11 disaster near the start of Bush's presidency, with all the death and destruction; and then as Bush was getting ready for his farewell speech at the end of his presidency, the miraculous, non-disaster, everybody-saved crash last week on the Hudson River. Pure coincidence, of course; but what a metaphor to contemplate.

Check out this video of the crash and rescue on David Mixner's site, and notice how very, very quickly the rescue boats got there. Disaster averted, rejoicing not mourning; please God let this be a symbol of the next 8 years for America.

Bush's Farewell Address

Of course, you can google up the whole thing at any number of news sites, but thought I'd excerpt the very best of it for Blue Truck readers here:

And so my fellow Americans, for the final time, good night.

Oh man, seems like we've been waiting forever to hear those words, doesn't it?


Time Capsule: On the off chance that somebody a hundred years from now will discover this blog in some archive, just for the historical record why don't we all contribute our favorite reason(s) why Bush is the Worst President Ever. Of course, schoolkids in the next century will have grown up hearing that all their lives, but they might wonder just why that was so. Let's make a record before history dims the stinking memory, what do you say?

Email your list to me at bluetruckredstate@gmail.com, and I'll compile and post them all.

Update: Here's Rachel Maddow on Bush's good-bye. "Still delusional after all these years." Which shows again why it's important to keep the historical record straight to counter all the spin Bush and his cadre will try to insert in it, to cover up all the crimes and misdemeanors of the last eight years.

A New Dawn

That's the title of the cloud of the month over at the Cloud Appreciation Society (I'm not making this up), which seems extraordinarily fitting as we look forward to the Inauguration in a few days - the beginning of a new, brighter, better day in this country, and perhaps all over the world. Love it.

A New and Brighter Day

The President-elect and his family handed out food at a Chicago church Wednesday, then visited with a roaring crowd of children in the church school. Great images.

In his Thanksgiving address to the nation, Mr. Obama acknowledged the tough times we face now and spoke of a new beginning for our nation:

Our Time, Our Challenge, Our Victory

Well, brothers and sisters, my heart is still aching over the stunning setbacks to equal marriage in this nation. But the way ahead is clear.

Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get to work on CHANGE. This no time for tears and despair. This country has just made a quantum leap forward in its long, long struggle to lay hold of and make real the dream and the promise of America: equality, liberty, and justice FOR ALL.

That is our birthright as sons and daughters of America. We will not let go of it. We have already fought long and hard for our freedoms, our equality, our rights and our dignity as gay Americans. Now is the time to redouble our efforts and fight a little longer, a little harder, more determined than ever to win, to earn, what belongs to us as Americans.

Yes, we have been dealt a crushing blow. But not for the first time have our hopes been dashed against the rocks of ignorance and intolerance, and perhaps not for the last time. Bloodied but unbowed, let us carry on the struggle, united in the firm hope, the devout belief that love will cast out fear, truth will banish lies, and the right will prevail over the wrong, in God's good time.

We must not be dismayed, we must not lose hope, we must not surrender our dreams or listen for a single moment to the ugly voices among us, a few, calling for violence and retribution against our ungenerous neighbors, against churches and organizations that oppose us. NO--that is not the way.

Instead, let us conduct ourselves with the nobility of mind that belongs to men and women deserving of freedom and equality. If we want to be respected, we must give respect. If we want to be loved, we must love first. These are universal laws. And we are not above the law.

There must be no room for hate in our hearts. My mother always said, "Two wrongs don't make a right." And "If you want to have a friend, you have to be a friend." How wise she was.

Instead of wrongdoing, vengeance, retribution, we Americans believe, we must believe, in the ultimate wisdom of democracy, in the rule of law, in equal justice under law. We can never achieve our dreams any other way. We believe in democracy, not thuggery. We believe in justice and right, not in deeds of darkness. We believe that might does not make right; and that time and history and the noblest aspirations, the just vision, of humanity are all on our side.

Therefore, let us not mutter nor even think of evil, skulking deeds. Instead, let us make our stand here and now, let us turn and fight with all the weapons of democracy and constitutional government at hand, let us lift our heads and hearts, and press on gallantly, nobly, indomitably towards the goal of full equality, as befits a strong and gentle people.

We take heart from knowing that other people, other outcasts, fought long and hard to win the prize, and were undeterred. The struggle for women's suffrage lasted from 1848 to 1920. African-Americans endured a full century of inequality from the end of the Civil War until the civil-rights legislation of the 1960's. And we could go on to name other groups, other struggles, other disappointed yet confident minorities who prevailed over injustice at long last, and some who still carry on the struggle.

It seems that such must be our fate too; but we will glory in it. We will fight another day, we will press on, we will make our name shine in the chronicles of American history for the justice of our cause, for the dignity of our struggle, for the hope within our hearts: the confidence that America can and will be all that she was meant to be.

We are downhearted now; but we shall not despair. Our new President-elect has shown us the way: a marvelous example of grassroots organizing, fundraising, campaigning. And after a long, hard-fought campaign, we see that change has indeed come to America. We take heart from his example, and his story, and the stories of millions of others who never gave up on hope.

We are blessed to live in the land of liberty; though equal marriage eludes our grasp for the moment in most corners of the land, we will use the tools we have to work with: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition for redress of grievances - and an unconquerable, unashamed determination to see this fight through to the very end.

We will return again to the sources of our spiritual strength, whatever they may be. We will recall and read again the words of those who marched to a different drum, who would not bow to oppression, who would not be intimidated or turned aside from the march to justice: Thoreau, Gandhi, King, and so many others. We will remember that they too suffered long - they too were disappointed - they too wept bitter tears sometimes. But despite everything the world threw at them, they not merely endured, they prevailed.

We will revere and honor the memory of those who came before us in this struggle, and those who suffered and died in a nation seemingly indifferent to their fall. We will embrace more firmly those we love now, we will rededicate ourselves to the struggle, we will open our hearts, our arms, and our hands to our families, our friends and our neighbors, our communities, our nation, and yes, even to those who fear and despise us. We will make plain the justice of our cause to everyone, we will carry the struggle to the courts and the legislatures and the people of this our country, this our republic, this our hallowed land. We will never surrender. And one fine day, we will prevail.

This is our time. This is our moment to fight for change. And we have great hope: never before in the history of this nation have so many in government and out of government supported our cause. Never before have we already succeeded in so many places in winning the right to live out our lives in equal dignity and respect. We have great success, we have great hope.

Forty years ago, before Stonewall, we could be locked up just for being caught in the same place with other gays; queer men and women lived deeply closeted lives, fearful and isolated. But those dark days are over, gone forever. We have come a long, long way since then. We rejoice in all we have achieved down to this day. We do not fear the future, we do not lose heart, we do not give up. We fight on, in the halls of justice, in the corridors of representative government, in the highways and byways of the media, in the arena of public opinion. We fight on, and we do not surrender.

This is our country, too. We're not going anywhere, and we're not backing down. The triumph of the democratic process and the awe-inspiring, epochal success of our President-elect will be for us a guiding light to victory. And our victory, too, will surely come.

Can we conduct ourselves as valiant, peaceful warriors for what is right? Can we struggle on unfailingly to protect the rights and freedoms of our families, our children, our loved ones, and the millions of gays and lesbians who will come after us, the queer kids yet unborn? Can we make plain the justice of our cause to our neighbors, our co-workers, our fellow citizens, our elected representatives? Can we love boldly, speak truthfully, fight on and on for however long it takes to win their hearts and minds to the cause of liberty and justice for all?

YES. WE. CAN.