Today was the last day to register for California residents so I hope you have registered.

It’s no secret that I will be voting for Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. The choice between the two candidates is a no brainer in my eyes. If you want to continue going down the wrong old path, vote for McCain. I was recently emailing a relative and she mentioned that she knew people who would not vote for Obama simply because he is African-American. There’s probably nothing in the world I can say or do to change that way of thinking. As for myself, I remember a time when my dad helped a man in need and it shaped my values and way of thinking….

The street were we lived had this deceiving dip where cars zooming by were literally flying in the air. One day this man drove by so fast that he probably lost a muffler and his car sputtered and died in the side of our house. His car was there for days until one day he showed up and my dad came out to ask if he needed some help. The man was African American.

My dad helped him out and eventually his car was towed away, most likely to the shop. He then talked with him for awhile with me hanging out with them as I was a somewhat curious/geeky kid. It turns out he worked at the Coroner’s Office and began sharing stories & photos (not the gruesome kind) with us. The conversation ended and my dad somehow offered to give this man a ride to his home which the man accepted. So we drive to the predominantly African American community called Inglewood in Los Angeles and I’m looking around trying to figure out where he lived with a gleam in my eye knowing that we were doing a good thing. I was proud of my dad as he has always been the kind soul that would do anything for anyone no matter what color his/her skin was. He loved helping people and that stuck with me to this day. These are my values in that, among other things – the color of a persons skin, whatever religion he/she practices and lifestyle choices don’t matter to me. It really shouldn’t matter to voters that Obama is black or that he is being portrayed as a Muslim (and no he’s not – not that it matters anyway). I know I won’t change any minds and god not even my own cranky dad now that he’s become a conservative Fox News loving addict (what happened that’s another story).

Don’t forget to vote for Obama and for god’s sake vote NO on Prop. 8 if you’re a California resident.