Enough already!

Good grief. Usually I'm pretty easy going about the American bashing here. I have a sense of humor about it, and hell, I even agree with some of it.

But enough already, ok? I was buying tickets to a concert in a record store last night and I didn't hang around because the staff at the counter were loudly proclaiming what pricks Americans are.

Granted that they quit bashing when I handed over my American credit card.

But seriously, folks, if we don't elect Obama I think the world is going to be pretty well fed up. The news coverage here is totally biased towards Barack, with anchors asking "is America ready to elect Obama, or will they keep the same conservatism that is currently wrecking havoc?"

When I first moved here I took it as a compliment when people asked if I was Canadian based on my accent (they must think I'm really nice!). I still haven't figured out why I get mistaken for Mexican, but that's a whole other story. But now I know that people ask if I'm Canadian (or Mexican) because they don't want to risk insulting someone by accidentally calling them American. And I always correct them and say that I'm American, because it hurts to think that it would be an insult to be from my homeland.

As the Democratic National Convention kicks off, I am hoping and praying that everything goes smoothly between now and November and that Barack Obama is the next president of the US. Most importantly I hope that he would follow through on his promises. We can be a force for good in the world, and we can use our intelligence organizations wisely. Another cold war will not do anyone any good, and what we need to prevent that is a diplomat, not a war eagle.

As hokey as it is to say, I believe in democracy and I'm damn proud of being a US citizen and a participant in the world's largest. I found it really disturbing when a few commentators here pointed out that the Chinese Olympics couldn't have been run in a democratic country, because the expense could never have been justified to the voting public. Is that a bad thing? Are we all becoming such sheep that we would want a benevolent dictator instead of our own voice? Because I believe that further war will only lead us toward oligarchy, or worse, dictatorship. And I would argue that modern communism is nothing more than oligarchy. However muted the people's voice is in the US, it is still audible, and I pray that we don't give up our rights out of fear or apathy.

To paraphrase Howard Zinn, I am not a pacifist, I am an activist who disagrees with the actions currently being taken. So I'm going to vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden in November, with my fingers crossed that they will take action in a way that we, and the rest of the world, so desperately need.