This summer we will get stoned and experiment on embryos.

An excerpt from a letter I wrote tonight to my fourth grade teacher:

Change. I used to think Obama’s slogan rather trite. I argued with Jay about him during Young Dems meetings, and every week was almost convinced that I should believe in the practicality of a Clinton government over this vague sentiment of Obama’s. Obama has been the president elect slightly over 24 hours now, and I feel it already. I feel myself changed, and I feel the attitude of our country changed. Before yesterday, I always felt completely detached from national politics. Perhaps that was only a form of emotional self-preservation-

After all, Bush has been in office since I was eight.

I have been so incredibly cynical that I couldn’t even believe my cynicism might come from something so concrete as an administration. When attacking the Bush Administration, I always condemned specific policies, or particularly grievous abuses. I didn’t consider how their philosophy of opportunism, fear mongering, and that consuming devotion to unilateralism (both in international relations and economically, with their devotion to free markets) might work its way into the national psyche.

I might not have thought of this because I never thought of George W. Bush as my leader. Being rather emotionally immature, I couldn’t imagine him being anyone elses’ leader either. They taught us in Youth Camp: To Lead is To Serve. Barack Obama is the embodiment of this ideal. I knows some would deride it as merely a cult of personality, but that would be doing a grave disservice the the millions of people who were moved to tears last night by, of all things, hope.

"This victory alone is not the change we seek;” Obama cautioned, “It is only the chance for us to make that change.” But I am going to throw caution momentarily to the wind: When I woke up this morning, things were different. Yes, to transform this energy into action (potential to kinetic, do you still teach that in fourth grade?) will take tremendous effort, but we are ready. For the first time in my life, we are led. Not by coercion, xenophobia, lies and self-interest. We are led by compassion, humility, and a “new spirit of public service.” Admittedly, at this late hour, I am also led by caffeine. Excuse my grandiose prose, I have a habit at times of thinking like a speechwriter.

I would be lying to pretend ALL my tears since last night were shed out of hope. I really really wish Jay could have experienced this. He deserves to know this feeling. He was a leader himself, so maybe he already knew. I just feel as if…
As if the world should have done him better. Why did we spend eight years fucking around? Jay would have loved to help fix it, if only someone had told him he could. It's so easy to be free in this country. People don’t take advantage of it enough.