Thank You, President Obama -- I Really, Really Needed That

   Thank you Mr. President, you have brought back in me something that I feared was mortally wounded and would cease to exist in a very short while, something that I had held onto for all my life, something I took for granted until one day when a part of it got stolen from me

    Then for a long, long time people would come to me and say that they were my friends and that they wouldn't let anybody else steal anymore of it from me, but when I went to bed they would come by and steal little pieces of it from me while I was asleep, thinking that maybe I wouldn't notice it missing.

    After a while I really started to miss it and I wanted it back, so I asked these people who said that they were my friends, "Can I please have it back? I didn't know how much I loved it and now I really, really need it back." These people told me that, yes, I could have it back, but that I would have to wait a little while to get it because it wasn't safe for them to give it to me just yet. I was so happy to know that I was getting it back that I just said thank you, thank you so much,

   I know you'll try hard to make sure I get it back. And so I waited, but pretty soon I noticed that every morning when I woke up someone had taken a little more of it while I slept.

    Now it had been 8 years since it first started getting stolen from me and all I had left of it was a very, very small piece about the size of a grain of sand. I remember thinking, why should I even keep this, it;s not good for anything, and then I saw some people on TV saying that they had lot's of it, and if I would make them my friends that they would give me all I wanted of it.

  I thought that yes, I will make them my friends, but then the other people said that if I make them my friends then I would never be safe and that someone would come and steal my last piece of it I had. I didn't care, what good was one piece anyway, the man on TV didn't look like any of my other friends, but I asked him to be my friend anyway.

    Well after having to fight with the other people, he came to me and said yes, I will be your new friend now and as I promised you, here is a big bag of it, and don't worry, I'll get you the rest of what I promised you very soon. I was in heaven, I had a big bag of it and I was as happy as could be. I started using it right away and it was wonderful, I didn't know how much I missed it, pretty soon I noticed that I had used a lot of it up and I needed more, when I asked my new friend for it he said all the trucks were breaking down and there wasn't anymore to give me, but if I would give him time that he would be sure to give me more.

   I said OK, I will wait some more, but inside all I could think of was how those other people said they were my friends and all they ever did was steal more and more of it from me

    I now had used up almost all of it that he gave me before and I was going to just throw away the little bit I had left, when I saw my friend back on the TV, he didn't look or act the same, my friend started sounding like he used to, he said a lot of the trucks were still broken, but he had a huge supply of it and that I and everyone else can come and get all they can carry.  He said he had enough of it now so we will never run out again.

    President Obama has done something unheard of in modern times. He has told the nation that it is time to quit calling it a "War on terror" and that we need to retract the special powers given to a President in wartime.

    Who of you could possibly see any GOP President doing that?

    Obama has re-asserted his desire to close Guantanamo Bay and either send home its inmates or give them judicial recourse. He is stepping up to the plate and doing the things that will ensure him a place in history as one of our greatest presidents.

   He is showing the character and honor of the man I saw campaigning in 2007. And the thing that he gave me back was "HOPE," and I sure feel better because of it.

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Is That Sunshine That I See?

   Lately, I have been a little leery and a bit nervous about the approval of certain legal procedures President Obama has decreed via Presidential order. After witnessing George Jr. in action, and the potential nightmare that could reappear from a President going rogue, I watch very carefully for signs of sinister intent..

   I therefore was elated when I saw our President dressing down the various Senators and Congressmen who were responsible for failing to enact legislation requiring background checks on individuals purchasing firearms; giving proof of their cowardly allegiance to the gun lobby and the NRA.

   It further boosts my faith in Obama to hear him reiterate the dire need for the closure of Guantanamo and to go forward with the final deposition of those that have been kept there in a state of legal limbo.

   The passion in his voice and strength of his words reminded me of the Obama I so desperately hoped would be the savior of a great nation that had been spiralling into the darkness for the previous eight years. Watching him at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on television, and the charismatic way he showed his compassion for and his common bond with the everyday American somehow comforted me and eased my concerns.

   When he voiced his admiration and support for a professional sports figure's courage in announcing he was gay and his public support of equality for gays to marry, he showed that unlike the current legislators who hide behind party platforms, lacking the balls it takes to speak out for what's right, he's willing to face the possible repercussions from the opposition, and stand up for what he believes in.

    Between 2000 and 2008 my optimism and outlook for a bright future grew dimmer and dimmer with each passing year, until it reached a point where it couldn't get any more dismal, then Barack Obama got elected as President of the United States of America. His message of change gave me encouragement, as did the fact that we had a very much needed changing of the guard.

   But by far, the thing that rose my outlook the most and gave me a huge renewal of optimism, was that the American people elected an African-American man to be their President. Against all naysayers, the people of this nation had the guts and courage to elect a candidate based on the content of his character, not the color of his skin.

   That alone gave me the power to hope again, hope for this wonderful country to return to its rightful place of honor and leadership in this world. And so the President's revitalized efforts to do the right thing is a very, very welcome sight to me. And although we as a nation continue to face some very real and daunting challenges, my optimism grows daily for our future.

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