Yes We Can

One day, Dan and I will have children (Calm down, Mom. It's not happening for another five years). Cute little Indian-Irish babies with blue eyes and skin the color of caramel.

Because I am thoroughly neurotic, I worried about that.

Silly really, considering that there are more biracial people around today than there were when I was born and that in a good majority of the country, the color of a person's skin isn't even an afterthought.

I'm lucky enough to have never been a victim of overt racism. A couple of dirty looks shot in my direction and one encounter a few years ago when a 13-year-old referred to me as a 'cockroach', but apart from that, nothing too vicious.

As minor as these incidents may have been, I didn't want my children growing up in a world where this stuff still happens. Being loathed for something you have no control over, be it sexual orientation, race or gender, is a really unsettling experience and something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

I didn't want my children to grow up in a world where the American Dream and the Algerian ideal of, "You can be anyone your heart desires, as long as you're willing to work hard for it" come with fine print:

"Offer may not apply everywhere or to everyone. You've got a good shot if you're a white Anglo-Saxon male but if not, don't even think about it. Seriously, you'll just end up disappointed."

Where the gallows humor of, "The only way a black man can become president is if he's running against a Mexican" is a true statement. Where what you look like or who you love takes precedence over intellect, determination, skill and hard work.

The American Dream became The American Reality with the election of Barack Obama as 44th president.

It's a good feeling to know that one day, I'll be able to tell my kids that they really can be anything they want to be and have it be the truth as opposed to a fevered, naively optimistic wish.

Congratulations to Barack Obama and Joe Biden -- the president and vice-president elect of the United States of America.

Sidebar: Personally, I believe Sarah Palin isn't qualified to be a QVC Spokesperson much less vice-president of the country but the villification of Sarah Palin by angry McCain/Palin staffers is uncalled for and only proves that they were lying to the American people all along. John McCain's concession speech on Tuesday night exemplified class and grace. It's a shame the staffers can't follow his lead. And on a related note, are you kidding me about Africa ? I mean, really? My niece knows that Africa is a continent....and she's not even four! Jesus, lady! You've got kids -- watch The Lion King or Madagascar or something...