Jess Knows Best 14

Jess Knows Best

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This week: Waking up to the American Dream

I just talked to my father-in-law, a Canadian citizen living in California.

He told me that while he's been in the US for 30 years, it's never occurred to him to gain citizenship here. He said he's just never felt like he had a voice to be heard. On Tuesday, however, that apparently changed.

He told me he was so incredibly moved by Barack Obama's election, that over his first cup of coffee Wednesday morning, it occurred to him that he would like a voice, he'd like it to be heard, and that under President-Elect Obama's administration, he truly feels it would be. He expressed regret that he wasn't able to help make the statement that was made so loudly on Tuesday, and said that Barack Obama is a President he wants to support.

Also a Californian, he said he was completely disgusted with the result of Prop 8. So much so in fact, he got into an argument with a guy at work who was making only ignorant, intolerant, hate-filled statements for his point of view. While my father-in-law would rather do almost anything instead of, say, watch two guys kiss, he said he was really upset that so many ignorant people would vote to take away what he considers basic human rights.

So, as a result of these events, he's already well into his US immigration paperwork, and I'm unbelievably proud of him right now. It's well-known that President-Elect Obama inspired record first time voter registrations, but in this case, he is also responsible for my father-in-law gaining US citizenship.

So thank you, Mr. Obama, for inspiring people. For too long, we've been a nation of watchers, expectant that someone else should or would fix the proverbial "it."

Well now it's time for us to DO, and you've made us all realize how important it is to have a President that inspires people to DO. I think that as a country, we're finally closing in on a return to the idea that you should, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

Ask Jess!