Inspirational Overload

As always, Garrison Keillor writes beautifully. I always choke up a bit when I read his articles, but this one did me in along with the glow of what happened last night. One can only take so much inspiration in twenty-four hours.

Now that the fight is over, I think I will make a greater effort to understand the conservative mind. I find myself being as mean spirited on my side as they are on theirs, and president-elect Obama has inspired me to get beyond that. The other day I was reading a news article about one of Palin's rallies, and they quoted a man who, after being presented with a rational argument about Obama, said, "I don't give a damn. I'll never vote for a black man." I immediately went on an internal rant about the ignorance of this man and everyone around him until I realized that I have said, "I don't give a damn. I'll never vote for a Republican." In some ways, my prejudice was just as bad as his. Listening to our new president last night, I realized that we have to make a greater effort to understand each other and improve the quality of our dialogue.

It's not going away, so I'll have plenty of opportunities to practice. I live in Texas. Read this article by John Derbyshire of the National Review Online and contrast it with Keillor's article. If McCain had won last night, I wonder if I would be writing something similar.

I ride a Harley. Several years ago, I wore a denim vest with a huge American flag on the back like many Harley riders. When George Bush was elected eight years ago, I put it in the closet and I haven't worn it since. I think I'll start wearing it again.