Senator McCain, It's been an Honor

As Americans we have seen one of the longest campaigns for America’s presidency come to a close.

With our nation facing an era of uncertainty and overwhelming challenges, the defeat of Senator John S. McCain was a painful and rude awakening for such a staunch supporter of the statesman like me.

Having been a contributor and a backer of Senator McCain since his initial run against President George W. Bush for the Republican nomination in the 2000 race, I was proud to watch one of America’s greatest heroes secure the nomination of my party in 2008.

Like a few of my contemporaries, I stood in silent and lukewarm support of President Bush for the past eight years and endured the verbal onslaught of Democrats who hymned in unison chanting for a need to change.

I could not have agreed more. The Republicans needed a transitional figure. America craved change. That change, I believed with all my heart and soul, was John McCain.

Here stood a man with a track record for reform, a man with enduring qualities and generations of servitude for his country. I have come to respect the man whom with quiet eloquence spoke with integrity, honesty, and simplistic sensibility.

I have come to love a man who was ridiculed by members of his own political party for his bipartisan efforts to end the deadlock of his country and then have him once more lampooned by the opposition party for not having done enough.

Although the pundits had cautiously ruled him out and the polls showed discouraging signs, the vast majority of loyal McCain supporters still held a sense of hopeless optimism.

McCain was America’s comeback kid.

As I watched the election coverage and observed America usher in a new era of Democratic control of the Congress and the White House, I fell into tears. Fused with bitter anger, frustration, and a sense of loss beyond words, I struggled to grasp how my fellow Americans had turned so blind to what I believed was the obvious solution to our countries problems.

When the news stations finally declared the Democratic candidate as the winner of the election, I rambled about giving New England to Canada and raved about returning California to Mexico.

While I craved to turn off the television in utter disgust at what had happened, as a man who enjoys formalities and frivolous traditions, I decided to endure the waves of celebrating people being covered on CNN long enough to watch McCain formally concede the race.

And once again I was astonished at John McCain’s humility, graciousness, and his continued promise to serve the American people with whatever chance may come his way.

As McCain opened his arms to embrace the finality of America’s democracy, I sat feeling subservient and humbled by the pettiness of my previous thoughts. The American people and their collective wisdom had chosen a new man.

Along with McCain, millions of Republicans will now soon hail Barack Obama as President of this great country. We as Americans are continually reminded every election year that while our solutions may be different, our end goal for higher prosperity and security are the same.

President-elect Obama, I give you the benefit of the doubt for having won the trust of America’s majority. I hold you accountable to the promise you have made this nation. And while I give you my respect and admiration freely, you will have to earn my trust.

With that said, I wish our new President-elect strength in his conviction, and luck in his future.

And to Senator John S. McCain, sir, it’s been an honor to fight in your campaign.

Rainfall, A New Perspective

Why do people hate the rain?

Have you ever woken to the sounds of rain tapping at your window, where the sky is hazy and the wind is rustling the leaves of the nearby trees? To hide underneath your cover and just lay there, listening to the soft tapping while time creeps by.

Have you ever smelled the moist earth and the aroma of blossoming life all around you as Mother Nature quenches her thirst? That smell of a familiar but yet unrecognizable memory that lingers just outside your grasp.

Have you witnessed the cleansing of the grime, dust, and dirt that fills our world of constant construction? Have you noticed how quiet it gets when it rains? The construction halts, the kids and dogs go inside to play and the only occasional noise is the sound of tires swishing through small puddles of water on the street.

That sound… that incredible sound of cars driving through the rain.

I adore the rain, my mother used to always tell me to avoid it because I’d get sick if I got drenched. But there’s something so refreshing about standing under the pouring of the heavens and allowing yourself to be humbled, to be belittled by the vastness of this world.

The next time it rains, skip the umbrella and just stand outside and allow yourself to take a moment to enjoy the relative serenity of a rainy day. Feel the growth of life and take that time to organize your own shattered mirror.

The Intro: Social Commentaries

“Social Commentaries,” as defined by Miriam Webster:

Main Entry: So·cial
3: of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society

Main Entry: Com·men·tary
2 a: a systematic series of explanations or interpretations (as of a writing)

This blog, appropriately titled, “Social Commentaries,” is an endeavor of mine to continuously keep as a forum of personal expression. As my mind often wanders, it can and most likely will cover topics ranging from international and national politics, economics, social trends, issues of religion, art, literary discussions, fashion, food, liqueur, personal ramblings and much more.

As stated above, this is a forum of personal expression and under no pretences will there be any illusions to un-biasness unless I present them as facts (either inherent to me, or cited off another source).

With that established, I’d like to comment on the heading for the blog and the definition of my user name. “Hic Sunt Leones,” is Latin for, “Here, there are lions.” I titled the headline of the blog in this fashion to declare that my opinions will be brave, original, controversial, and embraced fully by the writer until judgment (for better or for worse) forces me to concede the point.

The username, “Vintage Valour,” alludes to the idea that valour in all sense of the word is lost to the modern age and has become "vintage." Those men of valour that Sir Winston Churchill spoke of during England's trial in World War II are now all but obsolete. It is also serves as a reminder and testament to my belief that one must followed the old principals of serving their God, country, and family (or at least strive to) at all times.