Post-Election Results by George Ziemann -- November 9, 2008 There's a group boycotting Fox News for being "far left." Some schools in Mississippi won't allow children to discuss Barack Obama outside of history class. Rich gay people are saying that, being second-class citizens and all, they aren't paying any more taxes for schools. That's just the beginning. Fox News -- This is being reported at The Daily Kos. The Free Republic, a far-right activist group, is boycotting Fox News for being "far left." This is because Fox reported negatively on Sarah Palin, mentioning the shopping spree, etc. So apparently, this year's litmus test is that anyone who doesn't worship Palin now belongs to the far left. I guess that that's how the world looks if you're clinging to the right wingtip. After 8 years of being branded as far left simply because I thought Bush was a moron, during which criticism of the Shrub was viewed as "unpatriotic," I've found this to be very annoying. I've always considered myself as pretty moderate. Kind of liberal, but in a conservative sort of way. At least we'll be allowed to criticize the president again without getting our phones tapped, provided New Gincrich doesn't get his current wish. Gingrich suggested this week that the War on Terror may require us to terminate Freedom of Speech, which requires me to send him a shoutout, just in case it's illegal next week. Fuck you, Newt. Obama has a team of people that have a huge list of thing that Dubya did by executive order -- without any legislative action -- and all of which can be erased with a new executive order. I cannot help but notice the overwhelming irony that there are several wildlife and land issues on the table (whether wolves remain on the endangered species list, for example) which give the distinct impression that the "conservative" Bush administration never really seemed to want to conserve much of anything. And the "liberals" will force us to conserve. Hmmm. On the bright side... I saw Obama's first press conference. I think he dodged a few questions, understandably, but when he did answer, it didn't seem like he was making shit up, his explanations made sense, no language malfunction, only one questionable statement involving Nancy Reagan and ghosts. That's going to take a while to get used to. It's been a long, long time since we've had a smart president. If you saw McCain's concession speech, you may have noticed that it was like someone flipped a switch. McCain dropped the campaign bullshit and talked from his heart. Several people I know said that if McCain would've spoken like that throughout the campaign, they might have voted for him. The fact that McCain abandoned his true self to pander to the fringe made a lot of Republicans stay home on election day. Some schools in Mississippi won't allow children to discuss Barack Obama outside of history class. I would suggest that Obama respond by not allowing anyone to mention Mississippi outside of the IRS and the Justice Dept. At another place on the spectrum, Melissa Etheridge is still trying to figure out why we were finally liberal enough to elect a black guy, but she can't be married to her girlfriend. It's not like they're going to reproduce and have more gay kids (which cannot be said for ignorant, stupid or bigoted heterosexuals, who breed like rabbits). In some areas, gays also lost the right to adopt. This has made Etheridge wonder why the hell she has to pay for schools. So she may be tangling with the IRS soon, too. Another bright spot... There was an excellent article at Salon by April Havrilesky, a self-defined Gen-Xer, wherein she explains how that slightly younger generation (compared to Boomers, aka, old hippy-looking people like me) had grown so sick and tired of hearing us talk about the 60s, and how they just didn't get it because nothing in their lifetime, which began in the Reagan years, has ever shown them much promise. They thought we were delusional. Or stoned. "But when we watched Barack Obama's victory speech on Tuesday night, we looked into the eyes of a real leader, and decades of cynicism about politics and grass-roots movements and community melted away in a single moment. We heard the voice of a man who can inspire with his words, who's unashamed of his own intelligence, who's willing to treat the citizens of this country like smart, capable people, worthy of respect. For the first time in some of our lifetimes, we believed. "Suddenly it makes sense, what you've been trying to tell us about John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Sure, we knew all about their roles in history, we'd learned about them in a million classes, through countless books and documentaries. Eventually, though, the endless memorials and tributes and TV specials and Oliver Stone films grew a little tedious. We didn't quite understand why you've never let those two go, why you'd speak so relentlessly about a better time. "But how could we have known?" It's an excellent article, especially if you're an old fart. Made a lot of sense. Like I said earlier, it's been a long, long time since we had someone smart in the Oval Office. Our kids and their kids have never seen a leader they felt worthy of respect. Hope had been replaced with fear. They saw it last Tuesday night. They felt it. The shiver of history taking place sent a chill through us all. For the younger crowd, it may be the first truly historical moment they have witnessed that didn't involve tragedy, the first time they ever felt like they were hearing honest statements and purpose. And that they were part of it. They matter, but they never really believed it before. Of course, we've not begun to see the real change of power take place. That will happen in January, when people start coming forward to tell the truth about what really happened in the Bush White House and how many people were involved in the gang-rape of the Constitution.