But, we have a Black president, folks. And I want to take it back for a minute to New Hampshire, one of Mr. Obama’s best speeches – the one used by will.i.am in his “Yes We Can” music video.

Take the time to read it – and soak it in.

I want to congratulate Senator Clinton on a hard-fought victory here
in New Hampshire.

A few weeks ago, no one imagined that we’d have accomplished what we
did here tonight. For most of this campaign, we were far behind, and
we always knew our climb would be steep.

But in record numbers, you came out and spoke up for change. And with
your voices and your votes, you made it clear that at this moment – in
this election – there is something happening in America.

There is something happening when men and women in Des Moines and
Davenport; in Lebanon and Concord come out in the snows of January to
wait in lines that stretch block after block because they believe in
what this country can be.

There is something happening when Americans who are young in age and
in spirit – who have never before participated in politics – turn out
in numbers we’ve never seen because they know in their hearts that
this time must be different.

There is something happening when people vote not just for the party
they belong to but the hopes they hold in common – that whether we are
rich or poor; black or white; Latino or Asian; whether we hail from
Iowa or New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina, we are ready to take
this country in a fundamentally new direction. That is what’s
happening in America right now. Change is what’s happening in
America.

You can be the new majority who can lead this nation out of a long
political darkness – Democrats, Independents and Republicans who are
tired of the division and distraction that has clouded Washington; who
know that we can disagree without being disagreeable; who understand
that if we mobilize our voices to challenge the money and influence
that’s stood in our way and challenge ourselves to reach for something
better, there’s no problem we can’t solve – no destiny we cannot
fulfill.

Our new American majority can end the outrage of unaffordable,
unavailable health care in our time. We can bring doctors and
patients; workers and businesses, Democrats and Republicans together;
and we can tell the drug and insurance industry that while they’ll get
a seat at the table, they don’t get to buy every chair. Not this
time. Not now.

Our new majority can end the tax breaks for corporations that ship our
jobs overseas and put a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of the
working Americans who deserve it.

We can stop sending our children to schools with corridors of shame
and start putting them on a pathway to success. We can stop talking
about how great teachers are and start rewarding them for their
greatness. We can do this with our new majority.

We can harness the ingenuity of farmers and scientists; citizens and
entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil and save our
planet from a point of no return.

And when I am President, we will end this war in Iraq and bring our
troops home; we will finish the job against al Qaeda in Afghanistan;
we will care for our veterans; we will restore our moral standing in
the world; and we will never use 9/11 as a way to scare up votes,
because it is not a tactic to win an election, it is a challenge that
should unite America and the world against the common threats of the
twenty-first century: terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change
and poverty; genocide and disease.

All of the candidates in this race share these goals. All have good
ideas. And all are patriots who serve this country honorably.

But the reason our campaign has always been different is because it’s
not just about what I will do as President, it’s also about what you,
the people who love this country, can do to change it.

That’s why tonight belongs to you. It belongs to the organizers and
the volunteers and the staff who believed in our improbable journey
and rallied so many others to join.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no
matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can withstand the
power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will
only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We’ve been
asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against
offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been
anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible
odds; when we’ve been told that we’re not ready, or that we shouldn’t
try, or that we can’t, generations of Americans have responded with a
simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.

Yes we can.

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the
destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail
toward freedom through the darkest of nights.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and
pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the
ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and
prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this
world. Yes we can.

And so tomorrow, as we take this campaign South and West; as we learn
that the struggles of the textile worker in Spartanburg are not so
different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas; that the
hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are
the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we
will remember that there is something happening in America; that we
are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people;
we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter
in America’s story with three words that will ring from coast to
coast; from sea to shining sea – Yes. We. Can.

A real change. A real woman. Vote Sarah, Plain and Tall.

- Sana

But let’s not leave out Obama. McCain went to a meeting with some 600 odd soldiers re-enlisting to go to Iraq. Heroes apparently. Don’t get me started on how I think the leaders of that nation are pulling the wool over the eyes of its young people, making them die for causes they say are worthy. Which are in reality just more mischief being caused by the biggest bully on the international scene at the moment. But then McCain said he got a bracelet from a mom at the event with the picture of her dead son. Rather than dropping to his knees and begging for forgiveness for sending her brave son to die in an illegitimate war, he wears it as a badge of honour. But, never to be outdone, Obama also made it clear that he too has a bracelet.

This is important. Pay attention children.

I must admit, I shut off the debate at that point. I have long since stopped looking for islands of excellence in the political sphere. Canadian politicians steamroll over the issue of native rights like the third world exists only across the ocean. American politicians ignore their festering economy, their ghettos, the impact they have on the rest of the world. So, for the next debate, I think I’ll watch, but I’ll bring along some rotten tomatoes and practice my deep breathing.

Ommmmmmm.

Id the Kid

ObamaBidenLove

Obama’s one smart cookie – picks the whitest looking guy in the room who’s got about a few more years to live. Imagine the following exchange during the upcoming Presidential debates:

McCain: I ask, Mr. Obama, where is your experience?

Obama: He’s sitting in the audience, he is Senator Joe Biden, my Vice President.

AND THE CROWD GOES WIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDD.

This is awesome. For once, the white guy is the token in the room.

Needless to say, while Hillary probably would have rejected any offer of becoming a second-rate VP of the USA, she’s probably pretty irked about it. Everyone else seems to be somewhat erm’d.

- Sana

Everyone’s also been pissin’ themselves over China’s hosting of the 2008 summer Olympics. Definitely a lot of urine being excreted this year.

So why the controversy? Is it because of China’s role in aiding the conflict in Sudan? It’s gross violation of human rights? Is it because of the “omgfreeTibetbecausethebeastieboyssaidso” issue? If these are the reasons for why everyone’s getting all Mia Farrow, then we’ve got a problem. Finding a country with the resources to host the Olympics that doesn’t have blood on its hands is pretty damn hard, to be quite honest. And where is the line drawn? Sydney 2000 was awesome – remember? But hey, no one was getting all up in the Aussies’ faces about their gross and racist treatment of their Aborigine population. Sure, the 1956 games in Melbourne were boycotted by a handful of countries – but that had to do with factors external to Australia. Atlanta 1996 was also amazing (my favourite – go Team USA Women’s Gymnastics!), but no one was talking about the US’ past involvement in overthrowing democratic regimes, genocide, it’s role in preventing any useful UN working papers into becoming resolutions etc etc. Will the United States face similar controversy when it hosts the games again sometime in the future for it’s gross negligence of the Iraq War, it’s human rights violations in Guantanamo Bay, it’s blatant lying to the international and its own community? People will respond: you can’t compare the United States and Australia with China, idiot. Well, why not? You can’t compare them on a holistic level, of course, but you can look at the points of controversy and ask yourself some questions about the bias which exists in the portrayal of each country’s demons. I’m not trying to diminish what China has done in the past and what it continues to do. I definitely recognize it’s violations – however, while keeping all other countries on watch as well. As I previously stated, no one has hands clean of blood. Maybe Micronesia. Maaaybe.

I wasn’t shocked when China received the Olympics – it didn’t immediately strike me as an issue. However, as soon as controversy arose I found myself falling into that anti-Beijing abyss. I work for a Darfur advocacy organization, which definitely worked as a catalyst in my already increasing “omgchinahostingtheolympics?!?!11?” attitude. However, during the past few days I’ve been giving the entire situation some serious thought. The Olympics are my favourite paradox – it’s global event, marketed as a unifying event (there are more countries participating than there are members of the UN! take that Ban-ki!) meant to showcase the talents and cultures of ..blah la dee da. However, it’s a competition. While competing is something which can definitely be a unifying occurrence, when you bring an element as strong as patriotism or nationalism into it…

uh oh.

People don’t look at the Olympics as a unifying event. It’s just like FIFA or the World Cricket Cup – time to break out the national colours. Only this time, there are more sports to bet on and more countries to hate on. It’s only kids, such as myself back in the day, who look at the Olympics in awe. Like I said earlier, it’s a pissing contest – so why are we all getting our loins in a knot? The Tibet issue is not as simple as many people think; China is not the only country playing a role in helping perpetuate the conflict in Sudan. If you’re gonna boycott, boycott holistically and not just certain aspects. As this crazy white dude said to me at a recent outdoors events where I was spreading information about the crisis in Darfur “Wanna save Darfur? Stop buying Made in China.”

Truly a wise man. Wisdom beyond my years.

Not to mention, China’s gone so far in trying to hide it’s less-than-perfect marks (i.e. building walls around Beijing to hide areas which don’t fall into the “perfect olympics” facade such as construction sites!), we should at least recognize their efforts. A lot of money and child sweat has gone into making sure that this Olympics is an unforgettable one.

So, just turn on the TV, watch Phelps win more gold, and shut up with being so politically righteous.

- Sana

Today we tend to think of expression of sexuality primarily in terms of LGBT issues, sexual activity, breaking sexual norms, and the pussycat dolls present Girlicious. If it’s not how we think of expression of sexuality, just turn on the radio or the TV. Sexuality has become a part of the public life and a part of our day-to-day subsistance; Katy Perry’s god-awful but catchy “I Kissed a Girl” on repeat currently on my laptop is one example of this. It being in the top 100 of the billboard charts is another. Sexuality, it seems, has come at exploitation of women and homosexuality. Women and LGBT’rs have had to adapt their expression to a certain specific mode of sexual thinking, popularly speaking. The prehistoric role of men as virile sexual beings has remained unchanged; the role of the real Man has remained rather stagnant throughout this revolution. Women and people of the LGBT persuasion have come to symbolize the open expression of sexuality in very specific lights. I’m not here to provide some stick-up-the-bum analysis of the exploitation of LGBTrs and women during and “after” the sexual revolution – that’s thesis material, fools. Instead, what concerns me, as I’ve already mentioned, is the light in which this idea of sexual expression takes. Essentially what I’m asking is: do I really need to shake my ass to assert my sexual liberation?

Why does excessiveness in sex, vulgarity, clothing (well, severe diminishment of clothing …not excessiveness), beauty pageants, and the general image equate to sexual liberation? I’m not here to argue whether it does or not – that’s Women Studies 101 material fools. The important question here is why is there only one way to be sexually liberated? If sexual liberation and expression are to represent the inner sexuality and the sexual thought of a person – why  does that expression seem to manifest itself in a specific light? Short skirts, one night stands, stillettos, bump n grind …etc etc etc. It’s a pretty sexy light.

Sexuality, it seems, is visibility. We have gone from being a culture of both implicitness and explicitness, in regards to sex, to one completely about explicitness. Take for instance the comparison of Beethoven and Soulja Boy. Beethoven today is often yawned off by many youth, additionally when we listen to the Maestro we don’t think of sexuality. But that’s precisely what his audience thought about when listening to DJ B. Beethoven’s music was in stark contrast to the shrill and cheerful sounds of child star Mozart. Beethoven weeved emotion into his compositions – music which would send his audience, women especially, into fits of lust and orgasms. No lies! His music was controversial but still loved – it was considered raw in its implicitness. Today we are graced with geniuses such as SouljaBoy, Katy Perry, Pussycat Dolls, etc etc who represent the explicitness of sexuality we have come to embrace today. Play a video of someone playing Beethoven’s Fifth and a 15 year old average kid wouldn’t be too affected. Play Beautiful by Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell ..and well, you’ll probably get a rise out of him. The art we produce is not only reflective of our mindset as a society but also a catalyst in our way of thinking – there’s a mutual relationship between the two.

Pussycat Dolls' assertion of their sexual liberation vis a vis male fantasies. Super cool.

Sexuality is a part of our lives and a part of our nature. We are sexual creatures. At the same time we are also expressive creatures. However, as individuals we all differ from one another thus our expressions differ. The way you choose to express your sexuality is different than how I choose to do so. I choose to wear the hijab – which is an expression of my sexuality, not a repression of it. Sexuality is not visibility. Sexuality is there whether you see it or not from your perspective. I’m a sexual being just like my 5-minute neighbour upstairs, however I’ve chosen a different route of expressing it. Abstainance, a no-dating policy, clothing which covers me, ix-nay on the lubbing-cay, and the hijab are just some parts of my expression – an expression which refuses to give anyone the opportunity to objectify me. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen – of course it happens, creeps are creeps regardless of who’s in front of them. But I know that when I’m talking during class, no one’s looking at my hair, or what I decided to wear that day. I know this because this is what I’ve been told. My expression of my sexuality has allowed my general expression of myself to outshine any objectifying classfication – there’s a concentration on my inward and not on my outward (in terms of how I treat myself). That’s not to say, by the way, that I have a complete disinterest in fashion, funkified stuff, etc – quite to the contrary! I express every part of myself colourfully. Just because my sexuality is expressed differently than the apparent “norm” why does that expression all of a sudden become an encompassing repression?

This brings me now to one of my greatest current irks – Turkey. Okay, not the country itself;  I absolutely love Turkiye, the people (okay, just the men), the food, culture and history. I also love it’s identity crisis. Turkey’s complete white-washing of its Islamic history and roots amazes me. I’m sure it’s like some Freudian shit, but honestly it’s so interesting to read about! What’s not fun however is the hijab ban in Turkish universities. A Liberal democratic state which wants to become a part of the European State? Good lord, Turkey, even France didn’t take it to the universities and everyone knows they’re the most important country in Europe! Or so they like to think so!

Threat to secular establishment. That wench!

The University hijab ban in Turkey is a three-fold violation – it is a violation of a woman’s expression of her sexuality, it is a violation of a woman’s right to education and it is a violation of religious freedom. One should not have to choose one right over the other. Turkish women are being forced to choose between higher education and their sexual expression which is a part of their religious belief. There are times when one right or freedom supercedes another, of course, but someone explain to me the logic in the choice mentioned in the preceding sentence? While I am not a secularist, I do agree with it to a large extent. Secularism becomes problematic however when it becomes ideological – when it goes from a system of governance to one of complete ideology, particular values and morals. The route that secularism seems to be taking is one which seems in the opposite directon that what a liberal democracy should be – or at least once claimed to be. Keep religion out of politics, but make someone’s personal belief an impediment to their right? That’s discrimination pure and simple – and in the case of Turkey it is a sexist stand against women who choose to be sexually expressive in a less visible way. I should clarify that it’s not just a ban in universities – any public offce, i.e the courts. With one law a Turkish woman’s worth, knowledge and character are thrown aside – why? Because of her outward appearance, which is an expression of her sexuality. If we find the firing of a transgendered individual from his/her place of employment disgusting and shocking, then why not this?

If you think my hijab is honestly a threat to your establishment, then that says wonders for your confidence in what you’ve built. Modesty isn’t repression nor oppression. If it’s a threat to anything it’s the objectification you cast upon my sex. Are you shitting your pants yet?

Sexuality is not linear. It’s expression should reflect that. So if you will excuse me, I’m going to stop shakin’ my booty.

- Sana