The election yesterday was incredible for numerous reasons. First, there were record numbers of people who voted. Especially young people (18-29 year olds). Maybe we can beat the apathy wrap. And hey the person I voted for actually won, which is kinda nice (been waiting 8 years for that!).

The most remarkable part of this election is the fact that the United States of America was able to put aside its past, and vote for the most qualified candidate without regarding his race. I’ll have to admit I did not anticipate this happening for a long time. My pessimistic view is probably colored by the fact I live in the deep south where racism is still an ugly undercurrent of society. For once I’m glad I was wrong.

I agree with David Gergen, senior CNN analyst, Harvard professor, and presidential advisor, who said “That when one group advances in this country, we all advance.”

Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, given August 28, 1963, has always given me goosebumps. This excerpt sums up what America achieved yesterday turning his dream into reality.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Mary James was born exactly 45 years to the day of this speech. It’s incredible to think that she won’t grow up in a United States that hasn’t had a black man for President. I can’t wait to tell her how her mom and dad voted for Barack Obama, had their Obama sign stolen four times (the perks of living in a red state), and finally how we all sat at her grandparents’ house anxiously awaiting the results of this historic election.

I hope in my lifetime we will have a qualified woman for President of the United States. Hmmm….Mary James Murray for 2044?

Obama sign officially stolen. And it was the “good one” that said Obama-Biden. Good thing we have a back-up sign. Actually, it’s sad we have a back-up sign. Ben seems to think we are just are stirring up the fire, but I stubbornly refuse to give up MY right to express MY views in MY front yard. Heck, I’ll make my own sign if they steal this sign too. Stupid conservative thieves.

I get it.  I live in the South.  Specifically, I live in Tennessee which is definitely a red state.  I know McCain will sweep this state, but I’m still going to go vote …  FOR Obama.  And I’m going to have an Obama sign in my yard.

Our in-laws have given us a hard time about said sign — all in a joking manner.  My mother-in-law told us that she was going to call child services (jokingly) as we were obviously not fit to be parents since we were supporting Obama. Ha!  We were also told that they didn’t think it necessary that we announce our stupidity to the world.  Needless to say we don’t discuss politics.  EVER.  My father-in-law told me someone had played a horrible joke on us, as we certainly couldn’t have chosen to have an Obama sign in our yard.  And my neighbor playfully asked me how much they had paid us to put the sign in our yard.  See I get it.  Har har!

What I don’t get, and what infuriates me to no end is why people (most likely teenagers) insist on messing with our sign.  A couple of weeks ago, I was up early nursing Mary James and looked out the window to see that our house was now supporting McCain/Palin.  Hmm…don’t remember becoming a Republican overnight.  Although, people did insist that after the baby was born we would become conservative…yeah…that didn’t happen to my mom or the other million Democrats who have children.

Assuming it was a prank, Ben and I drove around the neighborhood to the houses we knew had McCain-Palin signs.  We found our Obama sign proudly displayed in one of our neighbors yards…so we switched the signs and had a laugh.  However, the one other family with an Obama sign in their yard had their sign stolen.  Really?

Well, I woke up this morning to find our sign on the ground.  I thought maybe the prongs in the ground had fallen over, but no, of course not.  The sign is hard corrugated plastic, so the metal prongs fit into slots.  You have to shove the sign down on the prongs, thus it would be near impossible for normal, non-hurricane strength wind to pull it off.

It’s clear the little vandals have a presidential preference…or probably mom and dad’s preference, as no McCain/Palin signs are missing or down on the ground.  I respect the fact that people have differing opinions than us, especially in our little Republican town, but geez ever heard of Freedom of Speech?

Ben wanted to run the electric dog fence wire to the sign so it would be “live.”  But alas, we figured too many law suits when a whiny 13 year old gets shocked (although from experience it really doesn’t hurt that bad).  I thought about dousing it with deer scent (aka deer urine), but it would drive the dogs beserk.  I mean that’s what you do with grave flowers, because people like to steal them for their loved one’s grave.  Yeah…how tacky?  Oh well, I guess with only 21 days until the election we will just have to hope our sign survives the conservative onslaught.

Obama ’08!