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Semester at Sea: Day 71

At sea: Enroute to Hong Kong

This moment is beyond comprehension. Poetry has returned to power. Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States of America. President Barack Obama. After following this election process for a tenth of my life, I am immensely proud of our country for choosing an incredibly capable, intellectually curious, eloquent, and pragmatic leader to our highest office. We, a country built on the backs of slaves, have elected a man who is, at once, a historic part of the African American tradition as well as a descendant of slave owners. I am optimistic that this is a signal for the return of rationality in our public discourse. A return for the respect for our civil rights, our constitutional rights.
It’s a good day to be alive.
It’s a good day to be a young person in America, being brought into the political process in a way that promotes optimism, involvement, and hope.
This day was possible because we believed it could happen. We were told over and over again that it couldn’t. Intolerance always turns more heads than substance. It seemed like the intolerance and invective might drown out the substantive issues that remain as alarming as ever.
It turns out that the American people were ready to vote for the person who I feel is best equipped to navigate us through these troubled times. I hope that we are right. Still, even as our chances for success and prosperity rely upon the choice we have made, they also rely upon the cooperation and willingness of those who chose differently. I believe that we are capable of this feat; capable of agreeing to disagree, and capable of uniting under our common causes. This is the America I believe in.

YES WE CAN!!!!!!!

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