In Thanks

Yes, I am thankful.  Not personally to any higher power but rather to America, my Friends in the loyal opposition and of course my family.

Even my dear wife who gets all giggly at the mention of Obama.  It is mostly due to her hard work that we'll be able to enjoy a turkey dinner at a Vermont Inn with our son and his girl friend.  Yeah, I'll get stuck with the bill but she paid for the propane to heat our house.

I am truly thankful that I live in the only country that perhaps values our transition of power as much as we value our form of government itself.  Thankful that no matter what we each believe politically, we all believe more in continuity of the country.  To witness the hateful Bush Administration bending over backwards to work with the incoming Obamas to insure a smooth transition, is, well, that is America.  That is awe inspiring.  That is what makes us different than everyone else.

Add to that the plain fact that we who still grieve for a stolen primary and the sexism that brought it on, we too are pulling for a smooth transition.  In fact I know most of us who fought against the bastard and are waiting to call him out on his screw-up’s.  We too wish him success and hope we are wrong about the man while still knowing we are right to detest the campaign that put him where he is.

Yes, I am Thankful this Thanksgiving.

I’m thankful for all the friends I’ve made who I may never meet in person.  The incredible gang of Hillary supporters on DU who went our separate ways in the Diaspora and find ourselves back in touch yet again.  That Flying Monkey Squadron Alegre brought me into at dKos is something I will forever be thankful for.  I met and wrote with some crazy Hilbots and though we parted ways the last few months, I still count them among my online friends. In that same group, I met a woman named Susan who invited me to spread my snark to NoQuarter and damned if I’m not thankful to be counted among such a group of brilliant writers.

And the Partisans of my Partizane who want to go forward from this low point in history to never again lose focus on the goal of melting that Plexiglas ceiling once and forever.  I am really thankful that the last 2 years have woken so many people out of their slumber.  That a new movement is stirring.  A new women’s movement that accepts old guys like me, with all our male faults.  Thank you.

And of course I’m thankful for my family of Obama supporters who being Americans first, have accepted me the stray back into the family.  That doesn’t mean we can talk about O but our family and our country come first.  My daughter and her O’bot fiancé never put politics ahead of family.  We are one and we are planning a wedding next spring.  But no kids named Barack or Michelle.  That’s where I draw the line.

I’m thankful for you my friends.  That, in this great country we can shout and swear, piss each other off, troll bait each other, yet all be Americans.  Yeah, I’m even thankful for the trolls.  Heck some places I’m a troll.  But trolls perhaps most of all, allow us Americans to never forget that we may not agree but we will fight to the death to defend the right to disagree.

Thank you for reading this old guy's words, and may you have a Wonderful, Thankful, Thanksgiving.