The end of indecency

In 1967, the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously that laws banning interracial marriage were unconstitutional. The case had been brought by Richard and Mildred Loving against the Commonwealth of Virginia where they had been convicted of having purposely evaded the Racial Integrity Act when they crossed into the District of Columbia to obtain a marriage license. They received a suspended one-year sentence if they agree to move out of state for 25 years.

A trial judge had proclaimed that “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay and red, and He placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with His arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that He separated the races shows that He did not intend for the races to mix.”

The courageous ruling struck down this absurd opinion and abolished anti-miscegenation laws in Virginia and 15 other backward states. Forty years and countless hard-fought battles later, the country verges on a historical threshold. Polls show that a charismatic black man may well be elected president on Tuesday.

Even outside of the context of racial hatred, his ascension to the national stage represents a transformative narrative. Barack Obama arrives when the country has suffered through eight years of catastrophic policies. He articulates an essential break from the dogma that has hijacked the American experience for the exclusive benefit of the affluent. His counterpoint is not just the Republican orthodoxy that grew from the infantilism of Ronald Reagan to embrace reactionary religious fundamentalism, but also the facile Democratic response that prostituted the country to conservative ideology. (Reports of Hillary Clinton supporters who have endorsed John McCain and his disastrous choice for vice president should not surprise.)

The ideology that ravaged the social and economic landscape of the country and that supports an illegitimate war seduces those it has benefitted, of course, but perversely many who have suffered from it as well. The millions of citizens cast aside from a wretched political process but inspired by Obama to speak up must cast ballots and make their voices heard so that in 24 hours the task to reform a quarter century of disregard for the common good may begin.

The fundamentals of our economic vision and social contract are profoundly flawed. Only yesterday, we worshipped a speculative business model in spite of the inequalities it breeds. The collapse of banking, investing and insurance industry leaders demonstrate the illusion of the race for profit.

To shift priorities will demand a steadfast resolve. Obama’s transcendent philosophy will confront powerful resistance and nothing short of a miracle will propel us forward. To continue with Republican policies - you are no maverick Mr. McCain – puts a stranglehold on the dreams and aspirations of the great majority. It backs an aberration that leaves the United States behind every single developed democracy and often third world countries in terms of social standards.

It is not scary; it is unacceptable. The cover of last week’s New Yorker shows a crowd of goblins and a witch recoiling in horror at a diminutive Mc Cain/Palin pair. Not an option.

VOTE.

Obama cannot squeak in. An impressive majority will signal the waning days of the noxious Republican idiocy. International sentiment backs the desire for change. For the past month, The Economist has asked (registered) visitors to their Web site around the world to vote for McCain or Obama. Editors have apportioned results to the Electoral College formula. Out of 52,092 intentions, McCain collects 14.95 percent. He grabs 203 Electoral College nods, versus Obama’s 9,115. Not much indecision from the perspective of the global community. A contest between the Enlightenment and the Middle Ages is not a contest.

VOTE.

And send the good people in Algeria, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq (!) - the only four countries “leaning McCain” – their preferred candidates. Include the long list of injurious politicians from the exiting administration, too.

My friend Scott sent me a (fake) news segment about the consequences of me not voting: check out this hilarious video and don’t be the person who crushes hope. Or I’ll let the New York Times know where you live …

Many reckless state propositions demand urgent attention. In California, Proposition 8 backers want to prohibit gay marriage. Because it would inscribe the ban in the constitution – a document crafted to protect rights, not to take them away - it would invalidate last spring’s State Supreme Court ruling that allows same-sex marriage.

It is destructive. Are civil rights a popularity contest? If enough morons agree that the interracial couples have no legal right to marry, is that enough to enshrine discrimination? Do we let religious intolerance win?
VOTE.

And then celebrate the end of indecency. Let’s take to the streets in a spontaneous act to savor the intoxication of victory with fellow revelers.

In the opposite situation, a nationwide funeral procession is in order to denounce yet another catastrophic regime.