I'm wondering if We will still be married tomorrow. 19+ years, 10 + kids through our home 5 adopted singularly of course.... good luck to Arkansas in finding enough straight people to take in their straight people offspring... especially the medically fragile kids....born to the meth teen moms.....the cost of the institution will definately raise their taxes..... ironic isn't it....
Has any body else felt they have been denied there rights to freedom of religion? MY God loves and appreciates me for who i am... seperation of church and state.... does it even exist ???? How can we allow the religious right to decide anything about our rights...we need to stand on the fact what if the catholics have more members and they decide jews dont deserve rights.....would this country let that kind of bigotry happen? How can this be any different for the glbt community? Lead by example people! let us be known... speak true..spread the peace!

Today when I went to vote, the guy thought I was male, so that was an interesting little sidetrip.

no wait when I voted.

He better win.

I got my vote out today. So did some of my students. I am quite proud of them. It's my hope that future elections will also have this kind of voter turnout.

I got in and out. No wait. This morning as I was driving into work I saw people walking toward the polling place. I'm glad I waited to vote until later. I didn't receive a copy of my votes. Really wish there was some kind of paper trail.

Today I voted in Virginia and it wasn't bad at all. I went about 11:00 a.m. and was able to get in and out in about 20 minutes. I think it is so awesome that Virginia, typically Republican territory, is a battleground state this time around. maybe the tides really are turning here and we can go full speed Democrat for once. I'm 32 so I've voted in a few federal elctions but I have never felt so pumped to have voted until this year. It makes me grateful to be an American!! Go Obama!!

Unfortunately I can't vote for Obama coz I'm italian and I live in Italy,but I really hope he's gonna win!! Here it's almost 11.30 pm and I'm gonna stay awake the whole night to wait for the final result!:D
Every time I listen to his speeches,I have goosebumps and my heart beats really fast.. He's a great human being,I'm sure he's going to be the new John F. Kennedy!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!:D

http://www.myspace.com/littleshane80

I spent some time with my elementary students today (here in northern Canada) trying to explain that in the US they have:
a) a fixed election date, so plenty of warning to prepare.
b) 2 hour line-ups to vote.
c) stolen and misplaced ballots.

Stephen Harper gave us only a month to prepare, but: We live in a rural village (pop. 100 or so) and we have our own voting station. Cheating is impossible because the election officials know everyone in the district by sight. A line-up only occurs if two neighbours carpool to vote.

My students (and I) were astounded and impressed that any Americans at all would feel compelled to perform their civic duty in the face of such obstacles. Kudos to all that do, whatever the outcome may be!

I voted "by mail," meaning on a paper ballot that I hand-delivered to one of our early voting places last week. I went last Tuesday. Along the short bike ride there, I waited with a (gay?) couple of guys and their dog, chatting at the stoplight, all of us with our sealed paper ballots in hand. It was exhilarating and empowering, and completely turned around my previously depressing (for entirely other reasons) day.

Today, I am nervous. The man at the DMV (guessed correctly that this would be a good day to renew my vehicle registration) had also voted early, and we shared our worries about election tampering. He, too, had seen the video in Kelly's "Voter Intimidation" blog.

In 2004, I voted at the polls in Kentucky, as I lived 6 blocks south of the Ohio River and Cincinnati, where I was doing my residency. I spent the day calling Kentucky voters, urging them to vote against the marriage ban. The vast majority of those conversations were disheartening. Then I went to the hospital to work my overnight shift in the Emergency Dept, where the patients and families of that evening and I watched the night unfold. During the course of that evening, I had a dead 12-month-old boy come in by ambulance, and we coded him for over an hour before pronouncing him. Shortly after that, the election results as reported by the TV began to turn. Most of my patients (including the boy who died) were African-American and poor. Some families actually cried while watching the TV; most just lamented. It was a depressing, exhausting night, and I will never forget it.

Tonight, my girlfriend and I will be at our friends' house, drinking wine and watching it all unfold, hopeful that the Obama cake they ordered will be eaten in celebration. I know it will be a different experience from '04, and I hope it will be one that I remember happily this time.

~paz y amor siempre

An hour and 45 minute wait in line this morning at my polling place in Los Angeles. Well worth the wait.

Barack the VOTE!

After seeing long lines last week for early voting in downtown Chicago, I decided to vote today instead. I considered waking early and arriving at the polls at six in the morning but decided differently saying most people that would be required to be at work at eight in the morning would be heavily inclined in doing similar. I'm so glad I waited because at ten thirty a.m. there was no line and I got right in and right out. I have to say when I first walked in it was very overwhelming. It was a small room and I was thrown right in. It all seemed so simple but there were so many options including electronic voting. I decided to go with the new wave of things and try electronic voting. It was amazing!!! Such a simple thing but incredibly wonderful to watch the process and the paper ticket slid up for verification. We really are moving on up!

As I woke this morning, earlier than usual, I was overwhelmed by the television ads showing clips of the electoral road trip. Yesterday I was in so much resistance to everyone's excitement about the election. I didn't want to be excited because of other people and matching to them and I want to express and feel my true emotions even if they are not similar to everyone else's emotions. Here in Chicago it's the BIG THING with the rally happening downtown. Normally I avoid the popular situations mostly based on the fact that many people involved in said situations are only there to be apart of the larger group irregardless if they actually believe in said situations. In other words, I resist the lies other hold up just to fit into the group. I'm a bit of a rebel but I have to say I'm curious to see the crowds downtown and to experience the energy of so many people together. So yes, I got teary eyed watching the television and seeing what us, as a country, are about to do. How we are saying: "It's time. It's time to have a reason to love our country. It's time to have hope and faith again. It's time to raise our ability to have to a whole 'nother level. One where we realize it's ok to exceed other countries even when they are not able to have what we have. This will changes our lives. We are finally ready." It looks like we needed more of a "radical" shift (in others eyes it would seem this way) and a person who would be inclined to take a risk with his knowingness and not sick to similar patterns. This does not mean it will always be safe but change is scary sometimes but necessary to reach where we all want to go.

I know that I am ready for this change. I'm ready to have all that I want in my life and know that anything that says others wise is a lie.

Yesterday I was thinking about Obama and how inspirational his journey has been and will be for others. In other words, many will see this and say, "If he can do it...I can do it." To begin to realize that the wall that may have been blocking their way never was stronger than their own power on the inside. They just needed to see a little light. Some possibility outside of all they have every known to be. They just needed hope. Too add, the color issues will loose energy in people's lives. It was a lie to begin with. A easy one to create your reality around.

As a country, everything will change when the last numbers come in. We are taking out selves to another level. Congratulations to us all for being brave enough, determined enough, strong enough, willing enough, and enduring enough to push forward toward change.

This is happening because of we decided it. We created this very moment in time. It's all ours.

BongWater waited in line approximately six minutes to vote. God bless America and the Sacramento County Board of Elections for having their shit together.

PS. The name of my polling place is Capital City Dream Center. How cool is that?!

The Swingin' A's - GoBAMA!

I am British but I have been so interested in this election - I have been checking BBC news all day so that I can get any updates! I think so many people (even all the way over here!)realise how important this election is.

I early voted yesterday, knowing that I wouldn't have that much time (or patience) today (hey, I have two exams and have to find some time to sleep). Anyway, I was in line for 2 1/2 hours before getting in to vote. I was so happy to see so many college students, especially black students. I live and go to school in Bowling Green, Ohio, a very small town that's politically mixed (though emotions are extremely strong).

I voted in 2004 for the first time. I was extremely disappointed and I almost didn't want to go and vote today. I'm happy I did.

OBAMA 08

I voted a couple weeks ago for Obama. I moved from Ohio 2 years ago to Central Florida (I 4 Corridor). Where I reside is very Republican but I have hope especially around Tampa that Florida will come through for Obama. I'm on pins and needles and it does feel like Christmas may actually be coming tonight. Feels like forever for this day to be here. I'm glued to the TV. Will only be gone long enough to take a friend to the doctor's. Will grab a bottle of wine and settle in for the evening. So blessed to be a part of positive history in the making. PLEASE let this be! I'm sooooo excited! Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.......

I live in Sherman Oaks, just outside of LA, and it took me and my fiance about 90 minutes to vote. It wasn't bad, though. People in other parts of LA are waiting for longer. But, I was too excited to sleep, so we got up before sunrise, walked the dogs, then walked across the street to our polling place. Everyone there seemed excited as well. Cars driving by honked their horns, voters stood for hours with smiles. It was great. I woke up this morning and told my girl that it feels like christmas, and tonight I have to drink some red bull to stay up...kind of like new years! We are a part of history, the first black president (hopefully)!! I couldn't be more excited...and a little emotional.

Colorado has early voting. My partner and I voted a couple of weeks ago. Walked right in, obtained our ballets and voted, all within 10 minutes.

Observation... we live in a predominately Republican neighborhood. We've been amazed at the number of Obama signs that have went up the past week or so. It seems, at least in our area, Obama has the edge.

The local news was interviewing voters on line about their wait times and one guy said he'd been waiting "four years" to vote! HA! Love it!

This morning it took me less than 5 minutes to vote in the office of a neighboring apartment complex, at what should have been peak polling time. One lady was turned away because she was living temporarily with a friend, and was trying to vote in the wrong precinct. They told her where she needed to vote, but noted that there was no bus out that way. We went back to my place, MapQuested it, and drove out. It was a much larger site in a community center, but she was done in a little under half an hour.

A little later I made a scheduled pick up of 3 little old ladies who didn't want to trust their votes to mail in. One was floored by being escorted by "one of those gay ladies." It was a real pleasure to transport them and their matching blue streamered walkers to the local high school. At this location the line wound around the building. A poll worker soon found us and invited the ladies to a shorter line for those who are physically fragile. One wanted to decline, but the other 2 out voted her. This was the most fun I have ever had a politically related event!

I have 2 more taxi dates for the early afternoon. Who knows what they will bring. While I have often registered voters and encouraged people to get out and vote, this is my first time actively and directly enabling others to make it to the poles. It has been a very positive experience in what is so often a negative political local for me. I think I'll plan to make a custom of it.

:) Taem?

I voted last Tuesday, I had planned on trying to wait but I changed my mind and considering the lines up until our early voting stopped, I'm glad I didn't wait. My line wait was about 15 to 20 mins and all was smooth. I double checked twice before I left(electronic) I wanted to make sure my Presidential vote was counted! I've been up watching all morning flipping from one station to the next. I'm so excited!

to cast my ballot...the line was certainly longer than in the past, but people were not complaining about the wait at all...and I heard a woman say, there's too much at stake NOT to vote, this election is too important...of course, I have no idea who she was voting for, but I sort of chuckled to myself because I know there are people on both "sides" saying the same thing, for a myriad of reasons, some similar, some quite different...
oh, and I am in Va. - we have one Democratic senator (Jim Webb), and it is likely that the other senator who's retiring (John Warner, Republican) will be replaced by a Dem, the former governor Mark Warner; the past two governors have been Democrats, yet, this state has not supported a Democratic Presidential candidate since LBJ... it is largely due to the changing demographics and diversity in Northern Va. that this state is now considered a "purple" state.
here's to hope, to change, and a better tomorrow for everyone...

thanks for the forum and for helping us stay informed!
Peace

Summit County held early voting in an empty warehouse, which ironically was the temporary location of our library while the Main building was being renovated. I arrived on Saturday at 2 pm and saw some of my co-workers waiting outside. They said you have to register first and then wait for them to call your name. They had been waiting nearly two hours already. The warehouse was packed with thousands of people standing or sitting on chairs and on the floor, waiting to be called. It was very hot and stuffy in the huge building and at one point an ambulance came to assist someone who fell ill while waiting.

They didn't even ask for my photo ID when I registered. They just took my name, address and Driver's License Number and told me to wait. I managed to find an empty chair next to my co-workers and waited for nearly two hours. They finally called my name, handed me two large paper (fill in the bubble) forms and showed me the next available booth. Voting took about ten minutes. That's it!

Here's a picture of the warehouse, curtesey of the Akron Beacon Journal. It was packed with little room to move when we were there.