I'm happy. It's been a long time since I felt hopeful about US presidential politics, and I'm enjoying the feeling today of being happy and hopeful. Starting tomorrow, I will return to my cynical suspicions about how the people who really control this nation would never let anyone get elected who posed a significant threat to their system of control and hegemony. (As the saying goes: "If voting really changed anything, they'd make it illegal.") But today I'm happy and hopeful.

I have hope that we'll have a national government that isn't asinine and pompous. I have hope that when I hear on the news: "The president spoke about [topic] today..." I won't cringe and prepare myself to yell at the radio. I have hope that we can change things so that millions of kids in the most wealthy nation in the history of the world won't live below the poverty line. I have hope that we can get health care to everyone. I have hope that we will start obeying the international laws we have sworn to uphold. I have hope that we can put a leash on Wall Street so that their insane and insatiable lust for profit and market share won't cause ulcers for regular working people. I have hope that we can combat terrorism with legal policework and global cooperation, instead of torture and unilateral bombing campaigns. (For the record, I know that Obama himself is not the saviour who will deliver these things unto us – but we have an opportunity to work for them unlike any I've seen in my lifetime.)

But I'm also nervous. Those white supremacists arrested just before they tried to assassinate Obama were not alone. There are people – I saw them on TV and heard them on the radio – who are very unhappy about having an African-American as president. But I am hopeful that the best natures of the American soul can rise above and quell the flames of blind ignorance, and help us unite for positive futures.

And today I am happy.

TimeWaster™

Here's Run-DMC on Reading Rainbow. I don't remember why, but this came up in class today. If you've never seen this before, you really need to watch it, for several reasons:

• Jam Master Jay rapping, which didn't happen much (RIP JMJ!)
  
• DMC digging through the trash
  
• Lil' Run, Lil' DMC, and Lil' Jam Master – the kid versions of the trio
  
• Levar Burton rockin' the freshest gear anywhere
  
• Dude, it's RUN-DMC on Reading Rainbow!

Today I'm listening to: Groove Salad!