Back from the Relatives

Time out for a trip to New York and New Jersey to visit relatives after the death of my husband's cousin (alas, from breast cancer) -- a trip which had to be extended when his elderly father had to be hospitalized for pneumonia. Difficult situations. But really hard to blog on the fly so my apologies for the long lapse.

It was especially painful to interact with relatives and friends who don't share my Obamania. I encountered opposition, ambivalence, suspicion --and a general lack of enthusiasm. It made me profoundly sad.

The lone exception is my brother-in-law, an Egyptian Muslim and thank goodness a long time American citizen who can vote. He is exceptionally well informed on the campaign and was positively giddy to find another Obama supporter in the family. Until recently, he worked in pizza shops using an Italian sounding alias to avoid any anti-Arab stigma. He spoke of customers assuming he shared their racism who casually spewed rants about their disgust at the thought of a black man as President. More sadness, but there is something mildly amusing here. Ironically, these "super Americans" vowed to "leave for Canada" if Obama is elected.