Roger Ebert wrote an eloquent column on Tuesday night. It captures my feelings regarding Barack Obama, John McCain and even George Bush more accurately than any groupings of words I could put together. It's worth a read, even if you didn't vote for Obama. Whether you agree with Obama's election or not, Ebert's hope for our country is unassailable.

This land was made for you and me
By Roger Ebert on November 4, 2008 8:47 PM

As the mighty tide swept the land on Tuesday night, I was transfixed. As the pundits pondered red states and blue states, projections and exit polls, I was swept with emotion. Not because America was "electing its first Black president." That comes a little late in the day. It was because America was electing the right President.

Our long national nightmare is ending. America will not soon again start a war based on lies and propaganda. We will not torture. We will restore the rights of freedom of speech, freedom of privacy, and habeas corpus. We will enter at last in the struggle against environmental disaster. Our ideas will once again be more powerful than our weapons. During the last eight years, the beacon on the hill flickered out. Now the torch will shine again.

We will bring our troops home, in the right way. Am I against the war? Of course. Do I support our troops? Of course. They were sent to endanger their lives by fighting zealots with occult objectives. More than 4,000 of them have died. Even more lives have been lost by our coalition forces than by our own.

Do I blame George Bush? At the end of the day, I don't know that I really do. I agree with Oliver Stone that Bush never knew he had been misled until it was too late. I blame those who used him as their puppet. The unsmiling men standing in the shadows. On Tuesday the righteous people of America stood up and hammered them down.

Lots of people stayed up late Tuesday night. They listened McCain's gracious, eloquent concession speech. He was a good man at heart, caught up in a perfect storm of history. He had the wrong policies and the wrong campaign. At the end, let me tell you about a hunch I have. In the privacy of the voting booth, I think there is a possibility that Condolezza Rice voted for Obama. Her vote might have had little to do with ideology. She could not stomach the thought of Vice President Palin.

I stayed up late. As I watched, I remembered. In 1968 I was in the streets as a reporter, when the Battle of Grant Park ended eight years of Democratic presidents and opened an era when the Republicans would control the White House for 28 of the next 40 years. "The whole world is watching!" the demonstrators cried, as the image of Chicago was tarnished around the world. On Tuesday night, the world again had its eyes on Grant Park. I saw hundreds of thousands of citizens with their hearts full, smiling through their tears. As at all of Obama's rallies, our races stood proudly side by side, as it should be. We are finally, finally, beginning to close that terrible chapter of American history.

President Obama is not an obsessed or fearful man. He has no grandiose ideological schemes to lure us into disaster.. He won because of a factor the pundits never mentioned. He was the grown-up. He has a rational mind, a steady hand, and a first-rate intelligence. But, oh, it will be hard for him. He inherits a wrong war, a disillusioned nation, and a crumbling economy. He may have to be a Depression president.

What gives me hope is that a great idealistic movement rose up to support him. Some say a million and a half volunteers. Millions more donated to his campaign. He won votes that crossed the lines of gender, age, race, ethnicity, geography and political party. He was the right man at a dangerous time. If ever a president was elected by we the people, he is that president.

America was a different place when I grew up under Truman, Eisenhower and, yes, even Nixon. On Tuesday that America remembered itself, and stood up to be counted.

This land is your land,
This land is our land,
From California, to the New York island.
From the redwood forests, to the Gulf Stream waters--
This land was made for you and me.

Great post.
One of my favorite songs. Learned it from Trini Lopez a long time ago.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVNWRXm3_Yg

VK....Thanks for sharing such a wonderful, positive piece of work by Roger Ebert. I too share those feelings that were truly written so very eloquently. This new political scenario has renewed hope and patriotism in the future of our great land. ....barb

Excellent piece of journalism.

Great post Kahuna. Very uplifting and expresses the sentiments of so many. Thanks for posting it. Two thumbs up for Ebert!

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

Roger Ebert wrote an eloquent column on Tuesday night. It captures my feelings regarding Barack Obama, John McCain and even George Bush more accurately than any groupings of words I could put together. It's worth a read, even if you didn't vote for Obama. Whether you agree with Obama's election or not, Ebert's hope for our country is unassailable.

This land was made for you and me
By Roger Ebert on November 4, 2008 8:47 PM

As the mighty tide swept the land on Tuesday night, I was transfixed. As the pundits pondered red states and blue states, projections and exit polls, I was swept with emotion. Not because America was "electing its first Black president." That comes a little late in the day. It was because America was electing the right President.

Our long national nightmare is ending. America will not soon again start a war based on lies and propaganda. We will not torture. We will restore the rights of freedom of speech, freedom of privacy, and habeas corpus. We will enter at last in the struggle against environmental disaster. Our ideas will once again be more powerful than our weapons. During the last eight years, the beacon on the hill flickered out. Now the torch will shine again.

We will bring our troops home, in the right way. Am I against the war? Of course. Do I support our troops? Of course. They were sent to endanger their lives by fighting zealots with occult objectives. More than 4,000 of them have died. Even more lives have been lost by our coalition forces than by our own.

Do I blame George Bush? At the end of the day, I don't know that I really do. I agree with Oliver Stone that Bush never knew he had been misled until it was too late. I blame those who used him as their puppet. The unsmiling men standing in the shadows. On Tuesday the righteous people of America stood up and hammered them down.

Lots of people stayed up late Tuesday night. They listened McCain's gracious, eloquent concession speech. He was a good man at heart, caught up in a perfect storm of history. He had the wrong policies and the wrong campaign. At the end, let me tell you about a hunch I have. In the privacy of the voting booth, I think there is a possibility that Condolezza Rice voted for Obama. Her vote might have had little to do with ideology. She could not stomach the thought of Vice President Palin.

I stayed up late. As I watched, I remembered. In 1968 I was in the streets as a reporter, when the Battle of Grant Park ended eight years of Democratic presidents and opened an era when the Republicans would control the White House for 28 of the next 40 years. "The whole world is watching!" the demonstrators cried, as the image of Chicago was tarnished around the world. On Tuesday night, the world again had its eyes on Grant Park. I saw hundreds of thousands of citizens with their hearts full, smiling through their tears. As at all of Obama's rallies, our races stood proudly side by side, as it should be. We are finally, finally, beginning to close that terrible chapter of American history.

President Obama is not an obsessed or fearful man. He has no grandiose ideological schemes to lure us into disaster.. He won because of a factor the pundits never mentioned. He was the grown-up. He has a rational mind, a steady hand, and a first-rate intelligence. But, oh, it will be hard for him. He inherits a wrong war, a disillusioned nation, and a crumbling economy. He may have to be a Depression president.

What gives me hope is that a great idealistic movement rose up to support him. Some say a million and a half volunteers. Millions more donated to his campaign. He won votes that crossed the lines of gender, age, race, ethnicity, geography and political party. He was the right man at a dangerous time. If ever a president was elected by we the people, he is that president.

America was a different place when I grew up under Truman, Eisenhower and, yes, even Nixon. On Tuesday that America remembered itself, and stood up to be counted.

This land is your land,
This land is our land,
From California, to the New York island.
From the redwood forests, to the Gulf Stream waters--
This land was made for you and me.

I sincerely hope the hope is rewarded !!!!!

Originally Posted by Bucco

I sincerely hope the hope is rewarded !!!!!

It will only be rewarded if we remain vigilant, do not let our civil rights get trampled, BECOME SOLVENT AGAIN, and keep the nation secure.

Always the glass half empty, eh, guys?

Originally Posted by SteveZ

It will only be rewarded if we remain vigilant, do not let our civil rights get trampled, BECOME SOLVENT AGAIN, and keep the nation secure.

Our civil rights are trampled on a daily basis all in the name of security. I hope that President Obama steps up and gives us back some of those rights. As to the economy, I think it is going to take some time to recover and the government will not be able to do much (other than exorbitant bailouts) for now. As to having a secure nation, I don't think this is truly possible. If someone is bound and determined to do harm and, more importantly, willing to die to accomplish this, the harm will be done.

In the meantime, I thank Mr. Ebert for a truly eloquent column. I hope and pray he is right and that President Obama will continue to be an adult, have good advisors that he will listen to and that this nation recovers some of its status and pride.

Our civil rights are trampled on a daily basis all in the name of security.
__________________________________________________ _____________-

I would be curious as to what rights you have lost ???

Thanks

Originally Posted by chelsea24

Always the glass half empty, eh, guys?

On the contrary, but blind trust isn't one of my "faults."

Beautiful, hopeful, article! Thanks for sharing it. As for trampled rights are you familiar with the patriot act?

Originally Posted by cglenhar

Beautiful, hopeful, article! Thanks for sharing it. As for trampled rights are you familiar with the patriot act?

I sure am famaliar with the Patriot act...one which passed our senate overwhelmingly and which the President elect voted for.

It has had ZERO effect on anything in my life...and am curious how it may have messed up your life ???

Originally Posted by Bucco

Our civil rights are trampled on a daily basis all in the name of security.
__________________________________________________ _____________-

I would be curious as to what rights you have lost ???

Thanks

Just one quick example? OK, I have a pace maker and cannot go through the metal detectors at the airport. Are we really safer after I am rudely "patted down" in the glass booth in front of everyone.

I lived on the dangerous border of Canada. The need for a passport to cross that border (after a good search of our random vehicle) to get to the Casino must make sense to someone.

My cell phone conversations can be monitored without a court order, emails can be viewed, all communication is subject to examination under the guise of anti-terrorism activity.

I have never been considered a conservative, but on this topic we agree about limits to government interference in our lives. Someone will have to explain to me how this law, that so erodes my personal right to privacy with "big brother" type government scrutiny, makes us safer, and is not ripe for abuse down the line?

OK, sorry that was more than one quick example.

Regarding ebert...........

Some of his points are note worthy .........however on the whole, i haven't seen so much gas since the hindenburg went down ................

Never a fan of ebert fumar