Freedom's Fire, Brightly Burning

I was there! Like last year. This year was every bit as cool, but I'll have to admit, there's just not as much I can write, because this year I knew how cool it would be. But, I couldn't move on to posting other stuff until I said something about the birthday party.

First off let me say that, Senator Kerry was just as great as ever, but Teresa stole my heart this year. Last year I'd been too shy to say much, and this year I guess I didn't say much more; but between a brief chat between us and the way she later talked about John and their forthcoming book, in this more intimate group of just over 40 folks, I got a very real sense of her warmth, humor, and compassion. From where I was standing across the room from John when Teresa spoke about their book, I really saw the play of affection between them in their faces. Now, I don't know if everyone gets this, or if I can put into words why it's so important to me that I would write about it. But I'll try.

Maybe it's that in 2004, when I first put up my "John Kerry for President" yard sign, the first neighborhood republican shill to say anything to me, chose to attack John by attacking Teresa, and making insinuations about the Kerrys' "relationship". Now I will confess I knew almost zero about Teresa at the time. It just seemed crazy to me that someone would try to influence my opinion of a person running for president, by attacking the person's spouse. What was up with that? Well I guess I was naive, because that was only a taste of what was to come, but the local republicans sure didn't win any respect from me by their tactics.

I really don't like having my intelligence insulted. Or my sense of myself as a moral person. Yet I feel that these right-wing shills accost me repeatedly as somehow morally less valid than they are. When they attack accomplished, decent, compassionate people like Teresa and John, for the baseless reasons that they do, and then they make insane personal attacks on them as a couple - these people think they are morally better than me? Sure. Got it. And to insult my intelligence by expecting me to fall for their lies? Sheesh.

Well to bring this back to Monday and the party. I guess like most people I like that feeling of vindication. And the more I see of John and Teresa, the more vindicated I feel in going with my gut and common sense in 2004. It's more than that though. I've seen a few things in my life, less than a lot of people, but still enough to make me well acquainted with cynicism. It's hard to believe in anything some days, and really hard to believe in heroes, ever. And I'm not quite there, even with John and Teresa Kerry. Except on days like Monday. And on those days, it feels really nice to believe in someone for a change.

Photo Credit: Island Blue of Democratic Underground. More photos here.

P.S. I am not in the above photo. That is Senator Kerry (obviously) and another blogger.