Election of Obama a peaceful revolution

I feel privileged that in my lifetime I have witnessed two historical events that triggered seismic political-social changes: two revolutions; one violent and other peaceful.
    In the first one, I was not only a witness but I also became involved in it. I refer to when the Sandinista guerrilla overthrew the Somozas’ tyranny in Nicaragua, my country of origin, in 1979. And now I have also witnessed the election of the first African American U.S. president.
    But there are significant differences between both events. In Nicaragua, it was necessary to sacrifice more than 50,000 young lives in a painful two- year war to make changes happen. And when the Sandinistas assumed power and tried to establish a communist tyranny, again it was necessary to sacrifice more thousands of citizens’ lives in the so-called Iran-Contra War, to regain freedom and to establish democracy in the 1980s.
    With the election of Barack Obama as president, a great change arrived in the U.S.A. But this change came with an astonishing civic party, reflected in people cheering, dancing and singing on the big city streets the night of November 4, 2008.
    Never before had American democracy showed to the world in a consistent way that great changes are possible when citizens are granted the right to choose their leaders and their fate in a transparent and civilized way. When Obama’s victory was announced, I reflected about how many precious lives could have been saved in Nicaragua if there had been a real democracy, rather than a family tyranny ruling for almost 50 years without allow at least the simple right to choose rulers.
    This historic election and its outcome is not something that will make only American people proud. It also must promote democracy more vigorously in countries where, despite long painful struggles, as in the case of Nicaragua and Venezuela, have governments trying to impose new dictatorship styles by not allowing their citizens transparent elections to freely chose their rulers.
    Along with the joy and the positive world reactions on the Obama election, this magnificent historical momentum must inspire people in other countries to speed democratic processes.
    I would say it’s time to globalize democracy too. Prosperity cannot flourish in countries where political and social issues are solved with permanent conflicts and violence. That is a sad truth for many countries from which many immigrants come looking to the U.S.A. for fundamental rights such as opportunity, prosperity, safety and social stability.
    I have always admired and loved this great American homeland. In my elementary education years, I started learning about this nation’s founding fathers and I ended up making Abraham Lincoln my favorite icon, after Jesus. But I never imagined in my childhood, that I was going to live in Lincoln’s homeland, nor that I was going to witness November 4, 2008, when the American people decided to bring down the racial barriers with their votes.
    Never, never before have I felt so proud, so privileged and blessed to be the father of four young Americans: Pablo Jr., a computer designer student, Jimmy, an Emporia science student, Paola, a high school honor student, and Kimberly the little girl. Certainly I have no valuable assets to bequeath to my children, but it’s amazing and more valuable that any property to bequeath them a country newly admired and respected, because its strengthened democracy once again lifts up liberty’s torch irradiating freedom and hope to build a better world in the 21st Century.