Over Dramatic? Or Just Plain Mean...?

I'm feeling very Natalie Imbruglia about the election results, if I must be honest. Not that I'm in any way upset that Obama won--that's been my happy thought since about 10:30 pm last night!

I have to applaud my American citizens for finally getting over the "black thing," if I am to put it politely (if mostly because they feel their wallets are more important than skin color). That's progress, if you care to look at the proverbial glass as half full, I suppose. Most of them were able to see McCain's politicizing for what it was, his pandering, and his lack of focus, and, even though I know most people didn't vote for Obama because he is a Democrat (most people just wanted change, they really didn't care where it came from, I believe...), I love how new blogger on the scene "Not Lacking an Opinion" put it:

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It seems as though McCain countered the Obama's African-American candidacy with a female running mate. "I see that African-American and raise you one woman!" Well it didn't work. The citizens of the United States were smarter than that. They chose substance over image.

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Love that sentence! Perhaps I'll have T-shirts made...

But there are microcosms of citizens that are most unhappy, as I was reminded on my Facebook this morning. Granted, most of my Facebook friends are from my Appalachian Bible College days, right-wingers mostly, although I love them dearly, I am sorely disappointed in their reactions. Granted, some of them were very gracious; things like "Congratulations to Obama, now let's pray for him," or "trusting God's sovereignty." I can't make too much fun, as these people are trying really hard to look at the bright side, even if their bright side is nonexistent.

But then there were the others: things like "in shock that our country just elected osama i mean obama for president. God have mercy on us!" and "May God have Mercy on our souls!" and "there were many evil kings that God appointed over Israel, there's a reason for it no doubt, I'm just disappointed in the Christians of this country" and "my daughter prayed this morning when we told her the bad news. she said she sure hopes obama asks Jesus in his heart so he can make good choices."

Evil kings? Assuming he's not a Christian? Have mercy on us?? (Step away from the de-friend button, step away from the de-friend button...) I am appalled by the pride, the arrogance, the sense that they have god, but apparently Obama does not; that they know that their opinions are the only good opinions, that they are the only thing standing between god and our total annihilation-- I wish they had humble buttons I could take away! What utter, horrifying cheek!

Much like QED who commented very strangely on my last post, saying things like "He's not a Christian because he's not a very good one!" I know a lot of people who make very bad human beings, does that mean they aren't? Of course not! These are the same people that claim their god sees the heart, and no other man can know it--and they know he's not "saved"? Not a Christian? An "evil king," for crying out loud?!

There is a very good reason for why there are over 38,000 Christian denominations--None of you can agree on who each other is, who is right, what make a "real" Christian, and you all have too much god damned pride to admit you may be wrong. After all, how could you be wrong? You pray, you read your own copy of a bible, and you all draw your own conclusions with "feelings" and "leading from" the spirit (something a little Pepto would fix right up...) What could possibly go wrong with that?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I believe their hearts' are in the right places, but I don't know where the hell their heads are at. I may have hated Bush (still do!), but I would never think of him as a man of intentional ill intent--I'm very sure he does, did, and will continue to do what he actually thinks is best, no matter how ass-backward I feel his actions to be! (or stupid, moronic, or ill-thought...) I believe there to be a very huge difference between talking about a man's actions, and who a man is, and if these are the followers of the so-called "prince of peace," it doesn't take a genius to figure out why so many were (are) disillusioned with the church, no matter what their spiritual status...

But I digress to touch on another portion of this election season in which I am very disappointed in my America, my United States: they haven't gotten over the "gay thing" apparently...

Three states had constitutional amendments on their ballots, and one had an anti-gay adoption law to be voted on, and, due mostly to lying pastors and dishonest right-wing groups ("We'll have to perform those marriages!" "We won't be able to stop them from using our churches!" "We will be arrested if we disagree with them!"--all lies...), they all passed--although some barely.

The one bright side, as FC pointed out in the comments of my last post, this now sets up a Supreme Court showdown. After all, rights were given to gay couples in California. They have wed (and will still do so until California's "amendment" takes effect--unsure of the time line there...), and now will have to appeal to federal levels to make sure they can retain those rights, as the 14th Amendment of the federal Constitution states:

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Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

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Emphasis, of course, is mine. Now that the "privilege" of marriage (later found to be a right, see Loving V Virginia: Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man"...) has been granted, it cannot be taken away from the citizens of California (or Massachusetts), and thus all those discriminatory bans and state amendments will be overturned (until such a time as the right-wing can once again sweep the country into their ideological abyss and try to pass a federal ban on gay marriage), and once again cries of "judicial activism" will fill the air waves (even though most of the time, they are not being "activist," they are doing their jobs!)

So even in this, I have hope.

I can understand the disappointment of McCain's supporters (as, when I fell asleep in 2000 with Gore as my president and woke up with Bush as my president), but at least the election was fair (unlike in 2000), Obama won the popular vote (unlike Bush in 2000), there were no tidal waves of "voter fraud" (unlike in 2000), so I'm pretty prepared to say "Deal with it!"

But what I've been hearing today isn't disappointment.

It's just being plain mean.