"SAD AND TRAGIC DAY FOR OUR NATION"

I read the below article from a website and I thought it could help to post it on my blog for my follower.  i hope it resonates well with you. I can't wait to read your comments.Coming from Kenya in Africa makes me see a lot of good stuff in US that the people who live there can see and thus, "SEEING U.S.A FROM AN AFRICAN EYE."

Presidential Election:

by JO on NOVEMBER 7, 2012

After hearing that President Barack Obama had just been reelected to a second four-year-term as our nation’s president I turned to my laptop and watched as Facebook suddenly became a blur of emotions, with months of political discourse coming to a head and clashing in a sea of  insults and joyous celebration.

For perspective, I posted this on my timeline:

“In 1981, my parents fled Poland two weeks before Martial law. I was 4, my sister was 8 months old. They left the only home they ever knew and came to America, because they knew it was filled with promise and opportunity rather than riddled with the side effects of Communism, like crappy health care and 5 hour long lines for stale bread. Some are elated tonight, and some are downright depressed, but know this: we get to pick again in 4 years. Before you bad mouth our country, try living somewhere else, where there is No choice and truly No hope. Count your blessings America, because there are many.”

I awoke this morning knowing our country continued to be greatly divided and that emotions were running high and I checked in on my favorite social media sites to see how everyone was faring.

But my fascination quickly turned to disgust when I kept seeing the same status popping up over and over again:

“A sad and tragic day for our nation.”

Disappointing? Sure, if your guy didn’t win, I’m sure you’re feeling disappointed.

Frustrated? Nervous? Deflated? If you were counting on a different outcome, then of course you’re likely to feel these things.

But to exclaim that this is a tragic day for our nation?

Really?

To those who truly believe the Presidential election results are tragic, let me refresh your memory of what tragic really looks like, because it seems so many have clearly forgotten:

This is what TRAGIC looks like. Photo courtesy 9/11 Photos via Flickr

Again. This is what tragic looks like. Photo courtesy 9/11 Photos via Flickr

If I sound like I’m scolding some of you, it’s because I am. Get it together people and gain some perspective. Because this country will go to hell in a hand basket not because of a single man, but because we allow ourselves to forget just how amazing and resilient and FREE our nation truly is.

Maybe you woke up this morning feeling frightened about your future because you were counting on the other guy to make things better. But you also woke up in the same country where you are Free to express your religious beliefs, Free to speak your mind, Free to choose where you want to live, and Free to think idiotic things such as “this is a tragic day for our nation.”

I urge you to find a way today to remind yourself just how good we have it, even if you’re facing economic strife or some sort of adversity. I can tell you this much: as a mom of a special needs child, there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be because I know that even though we have a long way to go in the way of awareness, accessibility, and acceptance, we are light years ahead of so many other countries in the world.

Today I un-friended the first person since the Presidential campaigns began. She threw a tantrum on Facebook and compared our President and those who voted for him to terrorists.

I draw the line there. Those photos above? That’s the handiwork of terrorists.

So if you’re feeling a bit down in the dumps today because Mitt Romney won’t be moving into the White House come January, remember that we live in a nation where you get to do this all over again in four years.

In the meantime, empower others by getting involved in your community somehow. Do something kind for someone. Be someone’s hero. Spread kindness and tolerance. Teach your children that diversity is the cornerstone of this country and show them that not only is it possible to lose with dignity and respect, it’s imperative if we’re to move forward as nation.

Then meet up with your coworkers at the water cooler or your friends at the bar, and talk about what an idiot you think Obama is.

Because you can.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE BEEN HELPED BY THIS ARTICLE

WHY I WOULD HAVE VOTED FOR PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!

Having lived in America for some time, I got to understand that politics and religion were some of the sensitive topics that nobody would dare talk about in public or in a group unless one got to understand really what kind of people were around them. So I most of the times shunned and have continued to avoid these thorny topics.

One thing that has really really made me to shun from meddling into this topic of politics even after being home from North America at a time when Americans were at the apex of making decision to elect their next president for the next four years was that, not many of my friends in the US supported Obama’s candidature! I would say that 1 out of 10 only did support my “uncle”.

I have struggled balancing between friendship and opinion by not contributing to this discussion for a long time on social media. Many are the times I would get hit really hard when I read many of my friends post many negative and derogatory things about Barack Obama and to maintain friendships, I felt bad and avoided the discussion because I value relationships! That’s my confession. Thank God this campaign and voting stuff is said and done.

Why I could have still voted for Barack Obama even if it meant losing with him, not because he’s my uncle, not because he’s coming from the same village where my mother came from and not because our ears and noses look alike but because of the following:

·    He was consistent all through his campaigns and never changed goal posts.

·         He admitted that things had been tough for the last four years he had been in the office. And I know many Americans blamed him for so many things during this time.

·         He always had the ideas and he laid the clear-cut plans on how he was going to accomplish them.

·         He was always very realistic even with tax deductions and stuck with it. He has been confident in himself and in what Americans are capable of doing.

·         During his tenure in Office, he managed to make sure that the Al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden was hunted down and killed. Terrorism has been a thorn in the flesh for many countries around the world and we even felt the wrath of Al-Qaeda here in Kenya when US Embassy was bombed in August, 1998.

·         He has always gone slow with immigrants since many of the them have contributed to Americans development to where she is today.

·         He moved me when he admitted that he was taking full responsibility as the president when the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked and US ambassador together with other three American citizens were killed.

·         When the superstorm/Hurricane Sandy ravaged most parts of the East Coast of US, he demonstrated leadership and did what a good president who cares about his people should do and he stood with people during such hard times.

·         He’s a people’s person, humble, social, articulate, jovial, etc.

·         In his ancestral background in Kogelo, many have felt his presence due to the many infrastructural development that our Kenyan government has taken over there in terms of roads, water, electricity, security has also improved. It’s turned to be a tourist destination for many and this has helped to facelift the region’s image and create jobs for many as well. Meaning, his leadership has trickled down to the small village in Kogelo.

N/B: The above, together with many other things could have made me to vote for my uncle even if just in case I did not like him as a person. I know many American voters would have had different reasons to vote him or to vote for the GOP’s candidate ranging from Tax cuts; employment and education, abortions, same sex marriages, pot/marijuana smoking, Medicare, foreign policies, immigration to personal attributes, etc.

But I am still glad that he WON.  

I loved it when Barack Obama said the below statement.

I think bo is his dog!!

"We're all in this together. That's how we campaigned, and that's who we are. Thank you. -bo"

The above is just my opinion, not meant to brush with anybody in whatsoever way. Since this is a very sensitive topic, I will agree to take constructive criticism, corrections and comments. Apologies to any who might have felt that his/her right has been infringed on in any way or the other.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS KENYA