Daddy, Papa and Me

So, yesterday I took a "LifeBook" class. I've been wanting to do one for Emma for, well.. over 5 years. As part of the class, we did a small 'mini scrapbook'. I decided to do two. Emma is named after Guy's maternal grandmother (Emma) and my paternal grandmother (Mary), so I'm doing two 'mini scrapbooks' about each of their lives and going to put it into pouches of her larger lifebook so she can learn more about who she was named after.

There are all the substantial reasons. The fact that he supports my family's rights. His understanding that we must fix health care system and stop global warming, and has good proposals to do so. His legislative experience that is longer and more substantial than Hillary Clinton's, and Kennedy's, and Clinton's, and Carter's, and Bush II's, and many others before they were president. His judgment in opposing the war when it was not popular to do so. On these and many other issues he has shown experience, judgment and good ideas.

But you know, there are many men and women with experience and judgment and good ideas. But there are few, oh so very few, who can inspire a nation to transform itself.

There is only so much that a president can do with experience and judgment and good ideas. But add inspiration to greater heights to that and we can all change the world.

I have never felt this way about any candidate in my nearly half century of life. Never.

Never have I seen a man or woman able to inspire an 84 year old Mormon grandmother in Utah, a single mother in public housing, a 48 year old white biotech executive, the Latina community organizer, an 80 year old Korean immigrant, the 55 year old African-American minister, and the middle-class Republican music teacher and his wife and so many others of so many stripes, never have I seen such a person able to not only inspire, but to persuade and to move to action.

These are my mother-in-law, my neighbor, me, a friend, the man I met on the street, a local leader, my close friends.

Never before in my life.

He has made me remember again why I am proud of this nation, what it means to be American. He has made this middle-aged cynic weep.

If we nominate and elect this man, we will have changed a nation and help it rise to the heights that is it's promise. If we don't, we will have missed a great opportunity. The time is now.

"In the unlikely story that is America, there is nothing false about HOPE"
Barack Obama, 2008

As AndrewSullivan says, cute.

The California State Supreme Court just set the date to hear oral arguments on marriage equality: March 4 .

The court then has 90 days to make a ruling.

So, by the end of May, we should know whether the court agrees that banning my family's equal protection before the law is unconstitutional or not. My partner and I have a "Domestic Partnership" in this state and live here. Though we are grateful for that, it's not full equality and we are reminded of it often (like when we realize that the 'stimulus' package doesn't apply to _our_ family because we are not "married").

It's a very strange feeling having something so personally, hugely and immediately affecting our family in the hands of a small group of people.

Here's hoping it's a good thing.

You watched the reason your heart is for Obama.

Now watch the reason one man's head is for Obama:

Emma crawled into our bed this, very early, morning and the first thing she said when she woke up was "Happy Valentine's Day. Papa, I have a song for you and daddy." I asked her what it was and she sang:

Happy Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day for our family
Happy Valentimes Day I love you

She made it up (and later changed the words a bit :). Wow, talk about having your day made :)... that and beautiful flowers and card from your husband.

This primary season has had a much more personal impact on our family than have any before. Impacts that intersect race, gender and sexual orientation. As a family of two fathers raising an African American daughter and with the two Democratic front-runners being an African-American man and a woman, the race could not have been anything but momentous in our family.

Both my partner and I supported Barack Obama early on, as far back as last spring. It was generally quiet support, an occasional online donation. The McClurkin incidence came and I wavered. But after his speeches where, in front of hostile (to gay rights) audiences, he spoke forcefully for our rights and after looking at his positions (supports the complete repeal of DOMA), I came to support him strongly. I became a precinct captain for the campaign and donated more and campaigned on phones and on the street.

Our daughter, 5 years old, had other ideas.

I've delinked Towleroad on this site and in my feedreader today. The rumor-mongering just got to be too much. bye bye. (he'll never notice or care of course :).

Emma.

If you remember from last week, Emma has been an avid supporter of Clinton for months.

Well, yesterday morning she came down to my office and sat on my lap. She looked at a video I had up of Obama. She pointed to him and said:

"I changed my mind"

Just look at this list of obsolete skills you DON'T need any longer. Including:

1. Using A Card Catalogue

2. Bust Apart A Long Computer Printout

3. Calling collect on a payphone

4. Changing vacuum tubes