Another good Dad story, this one from Ahalya:

My father told me this evening he'd been calling undecided voters in Ohio. I think the amazing thing about that is it came up accidentally in conversation. He didn't feel the need to brag about it, not even to his own daughter. It was something he did quietly and b/c he believed in it. He said he didn't act pushy, he just asked people what their opinion was and why and if they had questions about platforms, and he asked that they vote, even if they were pro-Bush. I know I'm biased, but I think I have one classy dad.

Also, am working on coming to terms with the current state of my country, but just to put it out there, this is why it hurts so much (from Atrios):

First, as Eric Alterman puts it, there are more of "them" than "us" right now. The people who voted George Bush and the Republicans into office this year didn't do so because they were conned by a right wing asshole posing as a compassionate centrist. They did so precisely because he is a right wing asshole. Yes, the modern Republican party consists of nasty bigots and liars and the media rarely bothers to point out just how nasty they are (all the talking heads talking about the role of "moral values" in the election know that what that really means is "fag hating," but they won't say it). But, don't be fooled - people know what they voted for.

Plenty of uplifting things have happened over the past several months, not the least of which was democracy in action on Tuesday with some of the highest voter turnout in ages and people actually caring and getting involved. But the hardest thing for me, more than the fear of what another fours years may mean (the mind reels) is the hard reality that America has spoken, and this is what America wants. And this version of America is so far from the ideals that mean the most to me, it's hard to see my place in it. I'm so tired of pushing against this wall, and it's like Wednesday morning it became so clear that the majority of Americans are perfectly happy with the placement of that wall. So maybe I should stop pushing...for a while. I mean, isn't the definition of insanity repeating the same act over and over again without a change in the results? But then as the day went on I remembered that there are plenty of people out there who desperately need that wall to move, and who don't have the same capability to push against it that I do. So I guess my place is still here...It reminds me (surprise surprise) of a West Wing quote, from the episode where a father is telling Tobey about visiting colleges with his daughter. And he says he likes that it's hard, putting his children through school. Things that are important and worth doing should be hard. But if they could just be the tiniest bit easier... That's how I feel now - it should be hard to make the world a better place. Doing the right thing shouldn't always be the easy thing. But I'm so tired. I was looking forward to having some time and money to spare now that the election is over. But given that this administration (and, it seems, the majority of American society) don't care much about the things I care about, I guess there's no reprieve from making sure the UNFPA can continue to prevent poor women from dying during labor. And funding AIDS research that goes beyond abstinence. And ensuring that a woman's medical decisions are between her and her doctor. And pushing our representatives to do something about the millions of people who's whole idea of healthcare is the occasional trip to the emergency room when something really awful happens. Mr. President, you've said over and over again that your job is hard. Well, guess what? So is mine. And I was really hoping that maybe you would take up some of the slack.