Welcome to tokoni

Dear President O,

Aloha and Hau’oli Makahiki Hou to you, Michelle, Malia and Sasha!!!  You must be back from your well-deserved vacation in Hawaii and are in the midst of moving your family to Washington.  Well, maybe it's Michelle mostly in the midst though I'm sure you have a little part to play.  I hope your time in Hawaii was relaxing and the time spent with your family was fun.  While the only images of you that we've seen back here on the mainland is of you playing golf, I'm sure you've used your time wisely to strengthen the bonds in your immediate family.  You'll need that strong bond over the next four years and particularly in the difficult parts of this first year.

So, here we are ... counting down to your inauguration.  Less than three weeks to go.  You must be excited as well as nervous.  I can't imagine.  You better invest in a good suit of armor though.  The knocks will be coming hard and swift.  They're already coming and you're not even in office yet.  People are pissed that you even took a vacation.  I had to fend one off at work the other day, and I've seen the news coverage of others.  I don't know what people expect.  You're not a god or a savior.  You're just human.  And I applaud you for wanting to take time for yourself and your family while you have it to take.  With the problems facing the world when you come into office, we need you well rested and recharged.  Goodness knows that the pace will be frenetic an hour after your inauguration or maybe sooner.  I'm also glad you've given the girls some time to play before what will have to be a traumatic change in life.  Your daughters are adorable.  If they turn out like you and Michelle, my faith will be further restored in the youth of today.

You've got quite a challenge waiting for you with all the events going on in Gaza and Israel.  I wish I had some advice for you, but that's a tough one dude. The Arab-Israeli conflict has been going on long before Israel was established as a country.  I believe saying there is a history of bad blood in the area is an understatement.  The religious, land and autonomy issues on both sides are complex to say the least.  It's frustrating for me to see this conflict go on without real progress.  Even in times of peace accords and treaties, there's always a simmering undercurrent of the hostilities that the two sides hold for one another.  The world hasn't really helped much since the early days of the conflict.  From the forked-tongue approach of the British's conflicting promises to both Arabs and Jews to the current one-sided backing of Israel in the conflict, the world has played a role in escalating the conflict.  The latter has intensfied the anger and hostility in the Arab world toward the Western world.  The unfortunate outcome of that is what seems to be the majority belief, or at least portrayal in the media, that all Arabs are Muslims and all Muslims are terrorists.  While the majority of Arabs are Muslims, there are also Arabs who are Christian as well as Jewish, though history has been spun to make it seem like Jewish Arab is a misnomer.  As for all Muslims being terrorists, I cringe along with my dear Muslim friend in Indonesia everytime we hear that dishonest, media-created slant.  I was watching the news the other day and they were showing a sound bite of a Jewish woman with the most distressful look on her face talking about not wanting war.  My heart and soul went out to her.  She was obviously a mother very much concerned for the safety of her children and her family.  My thoughts then went to the Arab mother that wasn't shown in the piece.  Surely she has the same anguish and the same desire for peace.  My heart and soul goes out to that mother also.  I'm sure that the majority of people in Palestine, which I didn't realize referred to a region comprised of both Israeli and Arab lands, do not desire war and are tired of this conflict.  I can't imagine what it is like to live life in fear like that.  It's a luxury Americans and people that live here often take for granted.  There is a peaceful resolution to this conflict somehow.  I'll pray that you find it.

Finally, I wanted to talk about this site.  I trust that by now you've read the letters to you in the Hub entitled "Letters to the President Elect".  Yeah, I don't buy into the whole "President Elect" thing either as I said in my last letter.  Hopefully the title will change on January 20th.  Anyway, I digress.  In addition to reading these letters, I hope you've poked around Tokoni Town, as I like to call it, and read some of the stories.  You've brilliantly used the current technological outlets during your campaign.  I hope you use this one during your Presidency.  It's a wealth of real world experiences.  Here you can find the real world examples of the things that need fixing in this country and this world.  You'll also find stories that will inspire you and make you cry and make you fall on the floor laughing.  You know those high priced advisors you pay with our tax money?  Well they are OK.  They have a job to perform, and so far, it seems like they're doing a good job.  But take a look at all the advisors you have here ... for free!!  Actually, we're paying you to advise you.  But we don't do it grudgingly.  We know it will take all of us to make a difference in positive and effective change.  After all, Tokoni is the Tongan word for "help".  The other night, I read RebelMom's story "Insurance Envy", and I was so touched and inspired to act, I sent emails to a number of media sources to try to draw attention to this site.  I wish I didn't dislike MySpace and Facebook (or SpaceBook as HeartsEverywhere calls it) so much.  I know you have accounts on those sites that your staff looks at and it would be yet another avenue to bring news of this site to you.  When you've taken some time to read the stories here, do us a favor, create a Hub of your own where you can tell us your stories and maybe update us on some of our issues and concerns.  I for one would love to hear about your family history and the struggles you've gone through in your life.  And maybe you can have the girls contribute their own stories.  I would love to hear things from their perspectives.

Well here's wishing you a fantastic inauguration and a successful Presidency.  Don't worry, you'll be hearing from me again.

Warm wishes,

thinkingoutloud