Germany's "Obamamania"

I'll say it up front: I'm no political analyst. I've even done my best to avoid all teachings of history and/or government in my long and addled college career. So it stands to reason that I've been kind of baffled by the fact that German friends and acquaintances have asked me a number of times over the past year how I feel about Obama and whether I think America will vote for him. (I must add that they originally asked me about Hillary up until she mercifully called it quits.) I'm still baffled, but this article gave me a few thoughts to ponder on the subject.

The article refers to a German opinion poll saying, "72 percent of Germans would vote for him over Republican John McCain in the Nov. 4 election if they could." Which isn't all that strange given that this is a rather liberal country (they support same-sex marriage, they have socialized medicine and they are extremely environmentally conscious.) While the ones I talk to seem to be pleased with their own (female) selection of Chancellor Angela Merkel, they nevertheless tend to recoil from any government leader that might bring on that rock star feeling (understandable, given their history.) So why are they so supportive of Obama?

I'm not sure the article fully explains it, especially since it quotes only one German and one American living in Germany (how's that for a cross-section!?) Even so, I think it does serve to shed a little light on why my neighbors are so interested in our election this year.

Independence & Funnel Cake Go Hand in Hand

The 4th of July brought very little "independence" for Jerry and Caleb since they were kind enough to volunteer to work the Funnel Cake booth for Jerry's shop. They signed up for 4 hours of schlepping flour, breaking eggs, measuring sugar and stirring thoroughly- and they didn't even get to take a bite of the fried goodness! Not to worry, Michael and I did, and we can report that it was positively scrumptious! What's 4th of July without Funnel Cake? I'm not sure, you'll have to ask Jerry.

Just as the big boys were crawling home from their shift at the House of Dough, our German/American neighbors began an amazing, permit-requiring fireworks show in their backyard. We were magnetically drawn up the street and spent the rest of the evening getting to know all the other Americans in the 'hood. You'd think we would somehow already know all the Americans, but there were way more than we realized! Some were contractors, some worked for DODDS, and very few were actually active duty, so I guess our paths don't cross too often.

I hope you all enjoyed your independence on Friday and that you didn't give up on the Funnel Cake booth just because there was a long line. It was totally worth the wait.