I'm so stoked for her. We were so naive way back when we started down this road in 1999. We were married in September 1998 but didn't apply to adjust her status til January 1999. Based on the rules of timing (being married less than 2 years) we were only able to apply for "Conditional status" green card in 2000 which she got that March. Then we adjusted the status to full Resident alien in 2002 good for 10 years.

In December 2002 she was able to apply for citizenship based on a 3 year wait period for adjustments based on marriage. In summer of 2003 we went to INS where she passed civics and language with flying colors....but it was a conditional acceptance awaiting background. Well, we descended into a purgatory I won't go into the details of. It didn't affect her everyday life. She could work, travel, etc. But she couldn't vote, work for the federal government, hold a U.S. passport (sometimes made travel more involved) and couldn't work to adjust her parents' status.

One of THE BIGGEST reasons I was so pissed off about the delays with her file stuck at FBI background check was she couldn't vote for Kerry and against that stupid slobbering excuse for a president in the White House right now.

Finally, earlier this year the floodgates have been opened on many permanent residents who were in a holding pattern. Today she went to her re-interview FIVE YEARS LATER!!!! And this afternoon she and I attended her naturalization ceremony.

We both tried not to laugh out loud at one point when Dumb-fuck-in-chief was on a video welcoming the group as citizens. But we got lots of pictures including of her with Naturalization Certificate under portraits of Bush and his evil robot, Cheney.

Today she has already filled out her US Passport application and voter registration card. Nothing is going to make her happier than getting to vote for Obama this fall. YEEEHHAAAHHH!!!!

I am expecting to see from here on out at least 5 topics a day sprout up that to one degree or another attempt to point out the fucking obvious: "Obama can in no way be all things to all people and is not perfect".

So, I am not surprised when I see stuff like "Obama isn't all warm and fuzzy for Muslim Americans", "Whites don't know what to think of Obama", "Blacks feel betrayed by Obama", "Hawaiians think Obama doesn't mention their state enough", "Obama has been nominee a whole 2 weeks and STILL no cure for cancer".

If that is what gets your rocks off then by no means let me stop you.....but it's stupid.

I SHOULD BE SEEING A TEN TO ONE RATIO here about McCain slams ON DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND. But I don't. How fucked up is that, people?

Get this. Your choice isn't A)Obama and B)Theoretical candidate who will call me every night to ask my opinion.

Your choice is:

A)

or

B)

Hello everyone. Obama has the nomination wrapped up not only in delegates...but now in the support and endorsement of his chief rival, Hillary Clinton.

What will we do? We have a tremendous opportunity to excite an even wider audience than was reached for the Democratic primaries. I'm hoping we can approach this adventure with not a jaundiced eye....but with a sense of mission and purpose.

Obviously, there are some who will use every waking hour either in they pay of Obama's campaign or as full time volunteers doing all they can to get him to the WHite House.

But what can you do, Mrs. Democrat who's working part time and who is raising 2 kids? What can you do, Mr. Democrat who has a full time job, serves on the housing association board, etc.?

Maybe we can't eke out time every single day. But can we commit to ONE SUBSTANTIVE ACT per week for 21 weeks? How wonderful would that be? Whether donating a certain $$ amount, making signs, convincing a friend, relative, or coworker to vote if they haven't done that...or convince them why Obama is their choice if they are regular voters.

Maybe one of the 21 weeks you go sit in a local Barack Obama office and make coffee and encourage the canvassers in their work.

Maybe one of the 21 weeks you have an Obama calling party.

If we all just count off the weeks by thinking of 21 things of significance we can do away from DU....away from our computer....that would be tremendous.

Write a paper and ink letter to your editor. Write one to your congressperson. Do the things that take a little more effort and have longer lasting results.

WE CAN DO IT!

I stated my opinion of Hillary Clinton's continuing to drag this thing out and it was LOCKED!! I have been a contributing member of DU since before many of you of our craziest and over the top Hillary posters were even joined up here. I've been posting since 2003. Still, my post gets locked and so much hate, lies, and vitriol gets spewed by them and stays up...then is fed by many Obama supporters disagreeing so that when I log on I have to see 5 or 6 ridiculous posts filled with anti-Obama lies when I check in.

I defy you to tell me where you feel it is important to "allow free discussion" of Obama haters launching firebombs seemingly every 5 minutes against Obama the presumtive nominee and don't lock those as flamebait but now when I express my disgust toward Hillary and what she is doing, it is locked less than 20 minutes after it is posted.

WTF is going on!!?!?!?!?!?!?

I see even at this age that the arc our lives inscribe in this universe is quite short indeed. After you've sated your pleasures, bought or built a home to call your own, made some memories....what is it all about?

It is about service to your fellow people across the globe. It is about altruism. It is about thinking ahead to what kind of life and what kind of earth you leave for the next generation.

I happen to believe there is one candidate who can give us the psychic lift we need to look ourselves in the mirror and say, "I'm better than this." "My life is larger than myself."

I'd like to think this person as a transformational leader can cause a light of hope to flicker in each one of you and inspire you to do something good you wouldn't have done otherwise. That is what leaders do. It is what he has brought about before. Not as a policy wonk or lifelong politician......but as someone who has effected change seemingly out of the most hopeless situations.

We need that person HERE. and NOW. These people need him in the worst way. If Obama is fortunate enough to get the nomination, he will no doubt mobilize all of you people and anyone else who cares about the country and just needs a leader with a vision to rally around.

Let's take this moment to put hope and public service and THE PEOPLE on a pedestal. These people are counting on you.

I'm tired of reading all of the bullsh*t served up by the media about McCain. They give him every benefit of the doubt and don't seriously go after him on things as BLATANTLY FUCKING OBVIOUS as his sick, sick preacher man who says gays caused Katrina, etc. etc. Why do we hear Rev. Wright all the time 24/7? Because the media ownership want a Republican in the white house.

We've got to nip this in the bud early. This is war, folks. "My friends"--my ass!

Yes, we have Air America. Yes, we have Huffington Post, Atrios, Media Matters, etc. But we have got to take it to the streets. This means both in the affirmative for Obama and in the negative against McCain.

I'm open to YOUR SUGGESTIONS about how we can keep it real and do a person to person intimate discussion of all the lies and dangers of a McCain presidency while at the same time convincing people just why Obama is the perfect choice for America in the wake of the horrible national tragedy that was the CLusterfuck Bush presidency part 1 and 2.

WHAT SAY YOU?! It's only May...but we must start now. Hilllary is so over. Most everyone but her and Bill know and acknowledge it. Please give me your hints on how to do this.

P.S. This is still primary season so that is why I put it in this forum.

For the record, I started this political season squarely in John Edwards' camp. I was somewhat impressed with Obama, so when John Edwards dropped out I did some research on Obama and swung my support to him. Since then, my wife and I have made donations fairly regularly to Obama. For her birthday, among other things, I bought her "Audacity of Hope" on CD. She listened to them on her commute and was scared by how moving and energizing he is (she's a card carrying cynic and skeptic). I later bought his book "Dreams of my Father" and am still reading it. What a great biography helping me to feel some of the things a black man goes through growing up and making their way in life here in this country.

Well, all of that had me pretty much in Obama's column so I can say meeting the man today won't sway me one way or another; however, now that I was lucky enough to have him stop at the business in Oregon right next to where I work and then was able to stand in a small crowd gathered across the street and then have him jog across the street and head down the line shaking our hands...and for me to be able to thank him for running for president in the way he has...it was a singularly wonderful moment I will remember always.

I hope I get to meet him again someday. But even if I don't meet him personally again I will work for him. Shortly after I got done swapping stories of meeting the man who may be our next president, I called the local Obama campaign office and let them know I would help out however I could. I'll be stopping by tomorrow to get a canvassing list and will go door to door or whatever to make an attempt to persuade people to vote first and foremost and also to encourage them to consider Obama as their choice.

I also plan to work Oregon phone lines and talk to people in person to get others registered who have not yet. I just KNOW Obama is going to win this nomination soon now, and I want to make sure Oregon is very, very Democratic.

I am proud to be a Barack Obama supporter, and I look forward to converging with Hillary supporters to try with all our might to get the White House and send McCain and his Bush Doctrine * 100 PACKING.

Thank you for listening. If you've made it this far, you are a patient person.