Ethnicity and religious faith are quite different, though often interdependent, variables, and it’s interesting to consider what it means for atheists in this nation to be a “minority”. The controversy over headscarves in France springs to mind as an illuminating contrast. Unjustified discriminatory treatment of the faithful or the faithless is equally wrong, our (often unrealized) ideal of “religious freedom” tells us on this side of the pond. To what extent does this ideal even exist worldwide? Again, it’s useful to ponder these questions BEFORE (highly operative word) passing judgement, both on our neighbors, and ourselves.

your analogy is benighted–there are more atheists in america than algerians in france.

blacks in usa constitute 13.4% and have been residents for aleast 300 years. algerians in france, south-asians in britain, and turks in germany constitute less than 3%, 3.7%, and 3.1% of those populations, respectively. none of those minorities was sizeable even 50 years ago. going by these percentages, european minorities are comparable in size to ralph nader supporters and atheists in usa (about 6% of us population).

so you should resume your sanctimonious wondering once an atheist becomes president of usa. in europe on the other, that’s happened several times.

obama on the other hand was an agnostic for most of his life. he caught the church flu whilst embarking on his political career in chicago. such a late-in-life leap of faith would freak europeans out enough (ask tony blair why he didnt reveal his new found catholicism until recently) rule him out of contention from high office there.

On the one hand, France, Germany, and England, for instance, heartily approve. And those of us who supported Obama generally have been craving this acceptance.

But let us consider: Would France elect a man of Algerian descent to its highest office? Would England elect the child of a Pakistani immigrant? Germany elect a descendant of Turks? I wonder.

And before we get too comfortable, let’s not overlook a sad irony of this election’s near-record turnout: The minority voters who were mobilized in such numbers by the prospect of electing another minority to the Presidency were likely part of the same demographic that gave the needed push to ratify CA’s Proposition 8. The conservative Christian streak in the Black and Latino population made for some strange bedfellows.

Lots of hopes… I think you have to wait for the box to be opened first!
At least, you didn’t need rigs this time.

Nearly all of our presidential elections are extremely close in the end – Bush won by a very small margin in both cases. Those of us Americans who have deep concern for our world reputation have never been a silent majority, but with any democracy, ignorance can rule the day despite the best efforts of many.

Yet that same system that gave us Bush also has given us Obama. It’s a great feeling to see people here from around the world relieved and congratulating us, as if the real America is back. Yet it’s a tad bittersweet because we’ve always been here, just overshadowed by those who brought us down.

But make no mistake – this is a victory for so many of us in so many ways. As much as the world seems to be celebrating, the reaction of our own nation is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my lifetime. Watching our citizens spontaneously gather in the thousands and celebrate outside of the white house gates evoked memories of the falling of the Berlin wall – so many of us have felt trapped in our own nation for far too long. We’ve always been a passionate people, for better or for worse – thankfully,

So from an American to the world – thanks for the good vibes.

Finally, the silent majority of decent and generous people of this great country has woken up and spoken! And the world rejoices!

There are many challenges Obama faces. But he is the only one who has any chance of addressing them—no one comes close.

What a beautiful day!

(From a non-American who had studied in US during BushSr-Clinton yrs and has many fond memories)
nano

The speech showed moments of genuine humility. These are the marks of a truly great human being, and I believe also of a great national and world leader. Obama is cut from different cloth. The America he has invoked is a new America … younger, diverse, progressive.

Please.

I still worry that Bush declares marshall law, invades Iran and Syria or some such similar horrible thing just to make the job even worse for #45. But I don’t seriously believe he will.

More likely he’ll make Gitmo harder to get rid of somehow. And of course he’ll pardon himself and his whole administration. Again.

I find pulse race and my palms get a little sweaty when I try to absorb as fully as I can the myriad pressing concerns our nation faces. In the estimation of many more knowledgeable in such matters than myself, it is difficult to overstate the enormity of the challenges our President-Elect will face, and already the pundits have declared the “honeymoon” over before it started. America can turn on a dime; this election amply proves it. And it can do so again, as we saw in 1994 during the grim period of the GOP’s “Contract With America”.

I am guardedly optimistic, but I’ve seen too much of how the opposition operates to get my hopes up too high, and while roughly 2% of my fellow citizens pleasantly surprised me in the popular vote, that mushy middle is liable to bolt if things don’t get better yesterday. I. e., they’re already setting Obama up for a fall, either consciously or subconsciously, and the next couple years are likely to be wild ride indeed.

I’ll smile watching the Inaugural Ball for the first time in three cycles, and that’s something to be grateful for. I think this crew has their hearts and minds in the right place. If they’re given even a slight chance to accomplish a modicum of what they’ve promised, we’ll be better off. But let’s not underestimate the millstone of the Bush years hanging around their necks, nor the eagerness of the so-called “real Americans” McCain tried to appeal to to blame the coming woes on the new elitist liberal incumbent.

Now is a time for cautious optimism, but triumphalism will be rewarded with bitter disappointment. The Republicans, and the crazy world at large, will see to that.