So, this isn’t what I had planned to write about here today. But lots can happen in a week.
The last sentence of one of my blog posts of last week read:
All I can say is that although I am one of the most pollyanna-ishly optimistic and hopeful people I know, I feel hopeless when it comes to the United States.
That was part of my reaction to the terrible shooting in South Carolina. I am still very troubled and profoundly uneasy about the state of The United States, to be sure. But being troubled and uneasy is different from being hopeless, and last week’s nation-changing decisions by the Supreme Court (lovingly called The Supremes) has given me new reasons to hope.
First, the Supreme Court upheld the subsidies of low and middle income families buying health care via the Affordable Health Care Act (aka Obamacare). This ensures that Americans can buy health insurance no matter where they live, no matter what state. This is a huge win for both economic and racial equality, and also a huge win for President Obama.
Then, just 24 hours later, The Supremes did it again, with a vote which now legalises same-sex marriages nationwide. As Obama himself said in his speech announcing the decision: Today the Union is a little more perfect.
Last week was both a terrible and a wonderful time for America. Indeed, one might say it was the best of times, it was the worst of times…. It both tore the country apart and brought it back together. The Supreme Court decisions of last week were the result of years, if not generations, of hard work and stubborn perseverance by thousands of people, most of whom had no connections or influence, but just hope.
So let’s hear it for all of them, and for The Supremes:
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