So, indeed, as the evidence has suggested over the previous days, Joe Biden has been elected the 46th President of the United States. This is, in my opinion, and the opinions of many other people, very good news. President Biden and VP Kamala Harris will be, at the very least, stable, straightforward, literate, and empathetic leaders, which is definitely an improvement over the previous occupant.

That said, this election was most emphatically not the landslide that many predicted. Biden won the clear majority of votes (the most votes cast for a President ever, in fact), though still, somewhere around 47% voted for the other guy, even after he showed us exactly who he is over the last four years. That fact there is not encouraging; his level of support relative to 2016 actually went up this time by many measures. While I am wholeheartedly glad that we’ll have new management come January 20, The fact that almost half this country thought the last four years were a good thing is not something I care to contemplate, and is keeping me from truly being excited and joyful at what I should consider a very good thing.

I worry that half this country is happy with an intellectually incurious, impulsively dishonest, poorly spoken man-child, bereft of subtlety and posessing racist and fascist tendencies at the helm of the ship of state. Those folks are not going away. I really do appreciate all the calls for unity from the President-Elect all the way down, though unifying is a difficult thing when one side considers the other side subhuman; I have watched the legimate fear of my friends in marginalized groups -LGBTQ+, POC, Immigrants, etc – especially over the last four years increase, and I worry for them.

I am pretty much the epitome of privilege in this country; white, male, educated, and relatively well-off financially; I’m on the cusp of actually benefiting from Republican “tax cuts at the top, all the time” policies in play for the last 40 years. I don’t agree with those policies, obviously, and genuinely believe in Keynesian economic theory, a strong social safety net, and expansion of policies supporting the public good, like universal access to health care, education, and all kinds of other things that those on the right label as “socialist” evils, even if they themselves would benefit from them.

That half the country is opposed to those things, oppose rights for others besides themselves, and generally scoff at the concept of a citizen’s responsiblity to their community, and would rather rally around a bloviating fascist who tells them that at least they’re better than <insert minority boogieman here>, still really scares me, and I worry about what that says for the future of this country, as historical evidence of this kind of thinking hasn’t gone particularly well.

But, as several friends from my beloved community of misfits have said in the last 24 hours, we have to try to savor the victories we win in order to find the energy to keep working to make things better. And indeed I am trying; and it’s almost working.

While I was engaged doing volunteer parental duty to ensure that an international dance competition in the age of COVID went off with minimal issues, I missed a lot of the big news of the day. But today, as I rest after a good night’s sleep (the first in a while), I got a chance to check out Biden’s and Harris’s “acceptance” speeches (as results won’t be certified for a while yet, but it’s as mathematically certain as to not matter).

Joe Biden showed his empathy, literacy, and genuine tendencies toward the public good, and calling for unity and promising to do his best to make life better for all of us. He used complete sentences, literary and historical allusions, and even quoted my grandmother’s favorite Catholic hymn. He showed he’s a decent and honorable man, which, frankly, is exactly what we need right now.

Harris, as well, showed empathy, dedication, and humility, recognizing the pioneers of past who made it possible for her to ascend to this office, which, we cannot forget, is a huge (and overdue) milestone in history. First woman, first Black person, first Asian-American, and first child of immigrants to hold the office. This is, as President-Elect Biden once said, a “Big F**king Deal,” and VP-Elect Harris recognizes the historical significance, but most of all, the others who will take inspiration from her example:

But while I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last.

Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.

And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message:

Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before.

And we will applaud you every step of the way.

The importance of that statement, the image of a woman like her in that position cannot be underestimated; I’m glad I am here in this world to witness it.

So yes, I am trying to enjoy the victory here, and take inspiration to continue to work to keep our new national leaders honest and accountable, and to help them realize the image Biden closed his speech with last night:

A nation united.

A nation strengthened.

A nation healed.

Let’s do this.

Like I said yesterday, we’re going to be waiting a little bit for this one, but from where I’m sitting, things looks to be breaking our way. All it’s going to take is time.

It’s the same way we get through any week, really, and this week’s been a long one for other reasons as well. It took all week and dodging petty bureaucratic tyrants on my level in order to get a necessary program funded and approved at work. Shifting weather conditions have my sinuses blocked up like a Texas highway the weekend before election day. My regularly scheduled car service cost a bit more than I’d like.

But, I blew past 900 miles for the year on my bike yesterday, and met this little lady along the trail, also out enjoying a warm November afternoon:

This weekend will be a bit busier than usual, as I’ll be taking on dance dad duty and running sound for the curtailed “live” competition for the WIDA US Open on Saturday. Most of the competition is virtual, as is responsible, but there’ll be a small number of live competitors who need music to dance to, and I have the PA. Given the limited number of live dancers, we might wrap this earlier than usual, which is nice, because the gourmet macaroni and cheese food truck is at the brewery near the venue, so we’ll be able to celebrate a job well done with drinks and a hearty meal afterwards.

As for tunes this week, I’m breaking protocol a bit and starting things off with a song that’s been stuck in my head all week. After that, the mysterious algorithms of Spotify chose the music. This led, not surprisingly, to a bunch of 70s and 80s British rock, a bit more Queen, and a plethora of other tunes I actually kind of dig with a similar rhythmic structure. Not bad, really:

1. “Don’t Stop Me Now” – Queen
2. “Hammer to Fall” – Queen
3. “It’s The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – REM
4. “One Vision” – Queen
5. “Ballroom Blitz” – Sweet
6. “My Generation” – The Who
7. “One Way or Another” – Blondie
8. “Mr. Blue Sky” – Electric Light Orchestra
9. “Fat Bottomed Girls” – Queen
10. “Starman” – David Bowie
11. “C Moon” – Wings
12. “Go Your Own Way” – Fleetwood Mac
13. “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” – Elton John

So, based on the latest headlines, it looks like we’re going to ultimately get good news on this one. Biden needs one more state, *any* state left, to put him over the Electoral College finish line; 45 needs them all. Nevada looks really good at this point (and will likely be the next declared state anyway), Pennsylvania still might redeem itself, and I’m still optimistic that Georgia is going to surprise a few people.

So, really, this is all over but the shouting. And there will be shouting, and it may delay the finale a bit, but I really think, in the end, it won’t matter much, because it won’t have much support behind it.

I’m perfectly okay with that. I’m willing to wait a bit.

It’s not over. It likey won’t be for several days. Not that those projections that came in last night are official anyway (they never are). Remember, this year is kind of unprecedented, with many more absentee/mail-in ballots due to the pandemic the current occupant hasn’t done anything about. Those votes get counted.

It’s not over, no matter what he says. He can’t declare victory and call for counting to stop just because. That’s not how our system works. Our system isn’t perfect, but it’s mostly worked so far. He’s run over a lot of so-called “norms” in the last few years, but what’s happening now, the vote, is more than a norm, it’s a core principle of this particular experiment; he cannot steamroll that.

(and he’s not even consistent; where the pretty picture is trending red, his team of lawyers are saying stop; where it’s trending blue, they saying to keep counting…)

If you’re in one of those places that’s kind of overwhelmed, it might be worth your time to make your voice heard and insist that all the votes are counted according to the rules in your state.

And after that? Take a breather from the constant newsfeed and doomscrolling for a bit. Go outside; it’s going to be a beautiful autumn day. We’ve got time.

If you’ve been putting off casting your ballot, it’s time to get moving on that. Today in America is “Election Day”, although with the way things have been working this year, it’s really more of the Election “Deadline.” We’ve been talking for years in this country about how to make voting easier and more accessible to more people (well, some of us have; some of us are suing to keep thousands and thousands of legally cast ballots from being counted right now); lots of talk about making election day a national holiday (which, cool and all, but doesn’t do much for service or essential workers) and such. In this pandemic year, however, a lot of states have, through necessity, made it much easier to vote; expanding absentee and mail balloting, early voting, and other steps that have made it very easy to vote, over a long period. I voted and had my ballot accepted in September! The early turnout numbers are staggering; I expect record turnout this time around; in large part to voting being made more accessible.

The ‘Rona is good for something, I guess.

One thing we’ll likely see this time around, however, is that with all the early voting and certain states choosing not to adjust laws to keep pace (like not counting absentee ballots until after the polls close tonight), we’re unlikely to see a declared winner tonight. This is honestly always the case (no matter what some people are saying), as the results you hear on tv on election night are complex statistical projections; official, certified counts come days or weeks later when we’ve all already moved on to other headlines.

Tonight is likely going to be weird; and that’s okay. The media just doesn’t quite know how to report it given the current conditions.

The important thing is that you vote, and if you’re in one of those places where counting is in doubt, make your voice heard to your local officials, and tell them you want ALL the votes counted.

As for me tonight? I’ll work on keeping pace with the results, of course. And if things can be predicted with reasonable certainty and they go the way I’d like, I’ve got a crowler of an amazing barrel-aged cream ale waiting to help me celebrate.

Cheers.

Tomorrow is it, my friends. If you haven’t voted by now, tomorrow is your last shot; it’s election day. Go to your polling place (if you need to find it, look here to find it), and do your part for the democratic process; it’s your responsibility as a citizen of this country; don’t shirk it!

If you don’t add your voice, you’ve got no room to complain (Carlin was wrong on that one). Just do it, please?

I did *not* forget! I was just in a car a lot of the day and couldn’t exactly type. Please consider this your daily reminder to vote. If you have an absentee/mail-in ballot, at this point, your best bet is to hand-deliver it to your local registrar to make sure it gets there in time. Too much legal maneuvering out there to assume that if you mail it now and it doesn’t get there by Tuesday that it’ll be counted.

Otherwise, go out Tuesday, wear a mask, stay distant, and do it at your polling place. Don’t know where that is? This link ought to help you find it.

Do your part!

It’s four days until election day. All the eligible voters in my household have now voted (and the other one wishes she could). You should as well; seriously. Yesterday there was a line down the block at the registrar, only took the kid fifteen minutes to get through. Most places are pretty quick. And, as I’m fond of saying it is literally the least you can do to live up to your responsibilities as a citizen.

Rant ahead

While it’s always been out there, the COVID19 pandemic has really brought the concept of rights and responsibilities to to the front of the national discussion. It’s not that most of us are looking at things philosophically, but it’s there in the content of every politics and politics-adjacent social media post and article, and the relative importance of each element of citizenship definitely varies by party affiliation and/or political philosophy.

If you’re not following my line of reasoning, let’s look at masks, and the kinds of opinions people have about them. The science says the primary reason masks work to prevent transmission is that it keeps the wearer from spreading the virus through exhaled droplets; that is, you wear a mask not to protect yourself, but to protect others.

Let’s look at the relative positions on masks from the right and the left. Those on the right (conservative, republican) side of the spectrum, are more likely to oppose wearing a mask, as an infringement of their personal rights to not be inconvenienced. The focus is on themselves and not on others. Those of us on the left (liberal/progressive, democrat) are more likely to wear masks because, although occasionally annoying, we see it as a citizen’s responsibility to do our part for the welfare of others around us.

Now, as a former civics teacher and a current public servant, I understand that citizenship carries with it both rights and responsibilities, as expressed here on the website of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services website in the space where naturalization (becoming a citizen by applying rather than just being born in the US) is discussed.

I just wish that more of us focused on the responsibilities of being a citizen, a member of a community, or thought about how our actions affect the greater population; particularly the folks in charge, for the moment, and those that support them.

What prompted this (admittedly disjointed) little essay were a pair of op-ed pieces that were published by the Christian Post this week, written by Joe Biden and Vice President Mike Pence.

Biden’s piece focuses on what he calls the “Greatest Commandment”, which boils down to “love your neighbor as yourself.” He writes primarily of how this guides his behavior and his political philosophy; doing what he can to help the less fortunate and treat others well, because “We are all created “imago Dei” – beautifully, uniquely, in the image of God”, and he cites his sources with appropriate scriptural references. Biden’s what I call a “justice Catholic”, and one of the kind of people who inspired me to stick with the Church a lot longer than I would have otherwise (shame there are so few of them, even if the Pope is one). His essay could’ve been written by a Jesuit; the key message is responsibility to serve those around us.

Pence’s piece, on the other hand (and I’m not surprised it was written by Pence and not the President), is all about what 45 has done to “defend liberties” of those in Christian club. There’s no talk of service or responsibility to others; not a mention of Jesus or Christ (I CTRL-F’d it to be sure) or anything he said. The piece is all about how the President stood up for “freedom”, not about how he’s walking the Christian path, as laid out by Christ in the Bible.

And, that’s not exactly atypical of the sort of person who loudly proclaims their Christianity, and who loudly supports the current administration. It’s all about them. They claim to read the bible every day, but somehow missed Matthew 6; they’d rather use the bible to beat up on those who they disagree with. The typical voter for the current administration just isn’t that interested in helping others, they are (as that iconic Republican voter in the NYT piece said) talking about wanting him to “…hurt the people he needs to be hurting.” For so many of them, the cruelty is the point, which is just about the opposite of the message pretty clearly laid out by the faith they ascribe to. If you’re a supporter of the current occupant and you’re reading this and thinking “well that’s not me!”, maybe you ought to rethink your position on supporting him; if you take the time to look, the disconnect between your professed values and the administration’s actions is pretty easy to see.

If you’ve voted for the incumbent this time around, know that that’s the philosophy you’re supporting. It’s not something I’d think you’d be proud of. If you haven’t voted yet but are considering voting for the incumbent, look again at the kind of things voiced by the campaign and it’s supporters; it’s not a good look.

Me, I’d rather be helping; and I hope you would too.

It’s damp, it’s sort of cold, and it’s less than a week to election day. If you haven’t done so, or sorted out how you’re going to do so, get on that now, please. It’s not too late, but it’s imperative.

But, the week’s basically over. It’s been low-level stressful all the way around, though some of the work re-jiggering has resulted in some positives, at least in terms of the team I’m working with on the acquisition support aspects of my job. I forgot what it was like to work with people who are as interested in getting things done as I am, at least in terms of having a sympathetic ear to vent about how stupid the process sometimes is.

Beyond work, there hasn’t been much; I got a little bit of outdoor time in, but the weather’s been crap, so not as much as I’d like. I recorded a short performance vid for a friend’s weekly online entertainment stream (which I’ll point to closer to air) as well, which felt good, as I really haven’t played much music lately. We’ll see how it goes over. Love the material, struggled with looking at myself while recording it, but I’m going to blame low self esteem.

No concrete plans for me on the weekend beyond a couple of boxes to tic here and there. I probably just need to find a new tv show to stream, having finished “Helstrom” and “Santa Clarita Diet” this week (both decent, the latter moreso); so there’s that.

Anyway, tunes. Some decent 80s jewels in here (The Humdingers have been talking about covering #1 for years now), and some other stuff that isn’t bad. I found some small measure of joy here; hope you find yours somewhere as well.

1. “Under the Milky Way” – The Church
2. “Mr. Tillman” – Father John Misty
3. “Flame” – Sebadoh
4. “[10 Good Reasons For Modern Drugs]” – The Twilight Sad
5. “Waiting For The End of the World” – Elvis Costello
6. “Isolation” – Joy Division
7. “Neil and Jack and Me” – King Crimson
8. “Crush With Eyeliner” – R.E.M.
9. “The New Stone Age” – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
10. “President Gas” – THe Psychadelic Furs
11. “Down In The Park” – Gary Numan, Tubeway Army
12. “Tattooed Love Boys” – Pretenders
13. “Holy Ghost” – Bent Knee
14. “Randy’s Hot Tonight” – Electric Six

We’re going to do this every day, folks. If you haven’t, find out how. Commit to making your voice heard.

Do your part, if not for you or for me, then for the 231,000 people (as of today) who won’t get a chance to.