And The Winner Is........................

The American people.  Or at least at the moment we are the winners.  Regardless of how we may personally feel about the outcome of yesterday's election, we must celebrate the democratic process.  Because as a free and democratic country political candidates from every demographic of American society can step forward with pledges to represent the interests of the people.  These said people in turn do their homework on the candidates' platforms then cast their votes for the candidate whose pledges best match their personal ideals.  The process if far from perfect- unfortunately issues of race, religion, and socio-economic status get thrown into the debate--causing us to lose sight of so many of the real issues.  At times it gets down right ugly--how many attack ads (in both directions) can we actually watch?   However, throughout it all, this is what democracy is all about.  The  freedom to vote is a right that many Americans take for granted.  It is the desire for this very freedom and democratic ideals that causes citizens of countries around the world to take to the streets to challenge their own governments.

Over the past few months I've watched with simultaneous interest, astonishment, and at times disgust as my Facebook friends have posted various political commentaries as a part of their regular status updates.  I've found some of the postings to be predictable while others have taken me by complete surprise.  The wonderful thing through this entire process is that I've realized the great diversity I have amongst my friends.  Who knew?   For every friend who posted in support of gay marriage, universal health care, and a woman's right to control her own body I have read counter posts that support the repeal of "Obama-care",  the preservation of  traditional marriage, and the reforming of our current Medicare and welfare systems.  

Do I agree with everything that is posted?  Absolutely not.  Some of the more thoughtful postings, however, have challenged me to really think about what and why I believe what I do.  While we agree on many issues, in the split-party Brown household, such postings have resulted in some lively conversations.  Glenn and I have debated whether health care is a right or a privilege and how the United States government should handle the on-going immigration debate.  In the end we've mostly agreed to disagree on these divisive issues but we've both learned a bit along the way. (People who know both of us might be surprised on which side of the line our individual opinions lie).

Because the American people have spoken, collectively as a country we now need to agree to disagree and work towards our shared goal of wanting what is best for the country.  If we don't agree with the outcome of the election we will have another chance in four years to change things.  Regardless of which side of the aisle we sit on, whether we are red, blue, or purple, what is important is that we move forward as a cohesive force and tackle the numerous problems and obstacles that await us.  As Mitt Romney said in his concession speech:

               The nation, as you know, is at a critical point.  At a time like this, we can't
               risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach
               across the aisle to do the people's work. And we citizens also have to rise
               to the occasion.

If we can do this, we will all be winners.  If we can't, then we all lose.   

And My Vote Didn't Count

Yes, you read the title correctly.  My vote did not count.  I am simultaneously embarrassed, angered, and frustrated by the whole situation but being stuck here in Albania, there isn't a whole lot I can do about it.

I've always voted.  Whether it be a presidential election year or one that only has local candidates on the ballot, I haven't missed an election since my first vote in the 1992 election. Granted, that year, as I have done more often than not, my vote was cast by absentee ballot.  I still remember the Sunday afternoon when I sat in the Mount Holyoke College library feeling so grown up as I used a Number 2 pencil to fill in my little bubbles on my State of Maine ballot.  I relished that opportunity that as an American citizen is a right, and responsibility, and a privilege.

While I only follow politics loosely, I've always made sure that whenever I have moved my status as a registered voter has followed me.  The first thing I did upon becoming a Massachusetts resident was to make sure I was registered in my local city.  The same held true when I became a Virginia resident.  At that point, Virginia made it easy by allowing me to complete my voter registration form while applying for my Commonwealth of Virginia driver's license.

During our brief fourteen months of living in Washington D.C. I kept my residency in Norfolk and voted in the one local election by absentee ballot.  Immediately prior to our move to Albania, I finally got around to changing my address on my driver's license to reflect our new Dulles, VA mailing address.  No longer owning property in Norfolk and knowing we would be living overseas during this important presidential election, I made sure I also changed by voter registration information.  With the completion of the form, I was now a registered voter in Loudoun County, Virginia--- or so I thought.  This was in June 2011 and not hearing otherwise, I assumed I was all set.  Despite all of the get out to vote information that has permeated the Embassy over the past several months, I never gave my registration status another thought.  This past summer I even received a letter from the City of Norfolk confirming that I was no longer a registered voter in there.

Late last month (yes I procrastinated) when I went to download my ballot from the internet, I first began to suspect something might not be right.  I was asked to reverify my registration information, which I thought was strange but I did.  I then downloaded, completed, and mailed via snail-mail my completed ballot.  I didn't give too much more thought to my vote until last week when I received an official looking letter from the Loudoun County Registrar of Voters.  Apparently it had been mailed two weeks prior but due to our slow mail system, it took that long to reach me.  In no uncertain terms, the letter informed me that I was not eligible to vote in Loudoun County since I did not have a valid residential address there.  I know this isn't a valid address and they informed me as much in stating that I had a Department of State overseas address.  But what am I supposed to do if I don't have a valid residential address? I don't live in the United States and don't own property there so I don't have a residential address there.  What was I supposed to have put in the address line?

I am angry and frustrated about this entire situation.  I believe that every American should get out and vote and I am embarrassed that I wasn't more proactive about my own situation.  Our ancestors fought for the right for all Americans to vote and I feel that by not doing my part, I have let them down.  I am frustrated by a system that does not make it easy and clearer for a military family serving overseas to easily be able to cast a ballot.  I am frustrated by Loudoun County who took so long to inform me that I wasn't eligible to vote there. Given the large number of Department of State employees whose mail gets processed in Dulles I surely can't be the first person to make this mistake.  But mostly I am angry at myself.  I should have followed through and questioned my status much earlier in this election process.  I should have made sure that I had a residential address in Virginia to claim as my own.  I really have no excuse and really only have myself to blame.

So I was not able to cast a vote in the all important swing state of Virginia.  It is a (very) small consolation that for entirely different reasons, Glenn was not able to cast his ballot in the equally swinging state of Florida.  Since we would have voted for different candidates (something we were both recently surprised to discover) maybe our votes, or lack there of, would have cancelled each other out.

As I head to bed on this election evening (we are after all, six hours ahead of East Coast time), I wonder if I will wake up with a new American president.  Given how close the race appears to be I wonder whether we will even know.  Whatever the case, my vote will not be one of the millions cast.  So if Virginia swings in either direction by a single vote, I will only have myself to blame.

Boys In The Kitchen

Its no secret that I love everything there is about food.  From selecting or dreaming up recipes to preparing it and eating it, I enjoy food.  Maybe in my next life I'll come back as a great chef; in the meantime I'm content to cook for my friends and family.  This weekend resulted in a cooking marathon on my part--- nine distinct dishes in two days with only one mishap.

I love the fact that Sidney is taking after his Mamma. Not only does he love food and is always willing to try new things (quite impressive for a three year old) but he loves to help out in the kitchen.  This is big......this weekend he stopped playing with his train set to come into the kitchen to cook with me.  Forget playing house and holding tea parties; my son wants to cook.

Mamma's little helper

Together we made pumpkin doughnuts and to quote Sidney "Oooohhhhh Mamma, these are so good!"  You can find the recipe here.

Powerful Words From A Powerful Woman

Speaking before the Albanian Parliament

As I mentioned in my blog entry on Friday, this week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a quick visit to Albania as a part of her larger tour of the Balkans.  November 2012 also marks the 100th anniversary of Albanian's independence and celebrations will be held throughout the country.  Next year Albania will be holding national elections and as an emerging and struggling democracy with a long history of internal turmoil, Secretary Clinton's speech before Parliament raised some timely and thought provoking insight into democracy and democracies that we should all ponder. 

Here are some excerpts of her speech before the Albanian Parliament that I find particularly powerful and thought provoking for Albanians and Americans alike:

Twenty years ago, you were just emerging from the yoke of communism; now, the elected representatives of the people engage in debates and vote openly on the laws of the land, activities that were once impossible.

Back then, your economy was closed, and you have worked hard to open it, to create the conditions for entrepreneurship, trade, and investment, laying the foundation for even better economic opportunity ahead.

Back then, Albania was the land of hundreds of thousands of concrete bunkers, evidence of the mistrust that the communist leaders felt not only toward other nations, but towards their own people.  Now you are a valued member of NATO, a valued participant in the International Security Force in Afghanistan, and I express my condolences for the first loss of an Albanian soldier there.  And you are moving toward full integration into Europe as you see accession to the  European Union.

This is all grounds for celebration.  But I think we all know that Americans and Albanians can never be satisfied.  We have to ask ourselves, what more can we do?  How much better can we make life for those whom we serve?  You cannot stop now.  You have the potential to become a model, not just for this region, not just for Europe, but for the world.  (Applause)..................

First, please work to ensure that your upcoming elections are free and fair and seen as such by the entire world.  That is first and foremost so that the people of Albania can have faith in the results and trust in you as their leaders.  It's also an important  signal to the EU that Albania's politics can function smoothly and without strife.  I know many of you are focused on this issue and are taking steps now to put a clear and effective process into place, and I commend you for that.

As someone who has been in politics, and run in very contested elections, and have won some and lost others, I know how hard politics in the modern world can be.  (Applause).  And I can also attest to how elections draw the world's attention, because with Twitter and Facebook and instantaneous communications, you have to assume that everything will be known, will be seen, which is good for democracy, but it puts an extra burden on those of us who are leaders.  So I urge not only leaders of Albanian, but the people, the citizens of Albania, to work hard to make this next election a success that reflects the depth of your commitment to democracy.

At the same time, it's always important to remind ourselves that consolidating democracy requires more than elections.  It requires the rule of law.  It requires strong institutions, including an effective and impartial judiciary.  It requires openness in government so citizens can hold us, leaders, accountable.  Attributes like these ensure that democracy delivers concrete results to the people.  And when those are subverted, there needs to be accountability.

Secondly, I urge you to tackle the problem that afflicts so many democracies in the world today, namely corruption.  This is a fight every country must wage and win, because all over the world, corruption is a cancer that eats away at societies.  It drains resources, it blocks economic growth, it shields incompetent and unethical leaders, and perhaps worst of all, it creates a culture of impunity that saps people of their will to improve their own lives and communities. 



There's no easy answer to this. It's as old as human nature. I'm sure if there were any easy answer, the world would have solved this a long time ago.  Rooting out corruption demands constant effort and a shared commitment.  No matter your party, no matter your differences, I urge all of Albania's leaders to summon the political will to work together, to confront this threat to your independence.

And that points to the final challenge I want to raise to you, one that is relevant to everything I've mentioned. For Albania's democracy to thrive, Albania's leaders will need to build a culture of cooperation that transcends political differences, what Alexis de Tocqueville, the great historian of America's early years, termed the habits of the heart. They're at the core of every successful democracy.

Now, this challenge some countries are never able to meet, but I believe Albania can. Now, again, I have personal experience with this.  As a Democratic senator, I frequently worked with Republicans across the aisle to solve problems, to deal with issues that affected my state and my country. And you may have noticed that I now serve as Secretary of State for President Obama, my former rival.

People around the world still ask me how can President Obama and I work together every day as partners when we fought so hard against each other.  Believe me, I did everything I could to beat him.  (Applause).  But he won, and then he asked me to be his Secretary of State.  And so when I'm asked how, how can two people who said terrible things about each other, spent tens of millions of dollars advertising against each other, whose supporters were arguing everywhere -- (applause) -- against each other, how can you two work together?  I will tell you it's a very, very simple answer.  We both love our country.  (Applause).  And I know there is not an Albanian who doesn't love Albania.

So I hope that you, too, can find your way to sincere, sustained cooperation.  Hold different political beliefs, believe that you would be a better leader than the other person.  That's what politics is about.  You wouldn't be doing it if you didn't believe that about yourself.  But at the end, putting individual interests and party interests behind national interests is what democratic leaders are called to do.  (Applause).

The full speech can be accessed here.   

Baking Away On A Saturday

It is day three of the November NaBloPoMo challenge.  It is also a Saturday.  I usually spend a good portion of both weekend days cooking up a storm.  Sometimes the recipes are experimental while others they are old standbys.   These long lazy weekend days are my one opportunity during the week to make more complex and time consuming dishes.  Often I prepare dishes for any dinners we will be hosting during the upcoming week.  Regardless of what is on my cooking schedule, I usually include at least one baked item.  Whether it be cakes, cookies, or breads, baking is my favorite cooking activity and now that the weather has cooled down, firing up the oven in my small kitchen is less oppressive than it was during our hot Mediterranean summers.

Today's blog entry is cross posted with my other blog.  This recipe for Double Corn and Thyme Corn Bread is the only cornbread both of my finicky boys will eat.  Enjoy!

Be Like Gumby

Its been a busy week around Embassy Tirana. In case you hadn't heard, here's the reason why:

In the days leading up to the big event it was the worst kept secret both internally and externally.  So many people were involved in the planning and implementing of the smallest details and we all needed to be flexible at every turn.  Hence, things have been a bit hectic.  But, like Gumby, we were flexible and the short but successful visited culminated with an opportunity for the entire Embassy Tirana community to meet the Secretary.  Here's to the rest of the year being quiet and uneventful!

Blogging for Blogging's Sake

Blogging.  Who would have thought it would become such a popular trend?  It seems like everyone is doing it.  Not too long ago I discovered BlogHer; a website dedicated to posting and supporting blogs written by women.  According to their press information they provide a platform "for over 50 million women who blog and their readers to gain exposure, education, community, and empowerment."  Scrolling through their website one can find links to women's commentaries on just about any topic. Food, parenting, travels, sex, religion, current events.  The list goes on but if you want to read --or write--about it, there is a blog out there talking about it.  I could- and many times do- spend countless hours reading the interesting and thought provoking posts being shared by other women from all over the world.  BlogHer's network has grown so expansive that they hold annual conferences that bring bloggers together.  (Hint, hint Glenn- I want to go).  This vast, and mostly virtual, networking tool is something that other institutions should be envious of.  And I am proud to say that this blog is now a part of such a fantastic network.

Why do I blog?  Unlike so many women who have spun their blogs into full time jobs (After my failed money making attempt where I earned a whopping 32 cents over the course of two months, I often wonder how they actually make money off of this enterprise).  For me the purpose is much more personal.  These days sitting down to write is a rare opportunity for me to have my own identity and do something that is just for me.  When I sit down in front of my laptop (which more often than not is during the pre-dawn or late night hours), for a brief time I am Zosia the blogger. Not a wife; not a mother; not the Embassy CLO; not the DATT spouse; but myself with my own thoughts, ideas, and completely free reign over what my fingertips tap out.  Unlike some blogs that focus on a single topic, my blog tends to be more free flowing.  One post might recap a recent family trip while the next discusses local Albanian customs, personal interests or even a really great meal I ate. I really am all over the place and that is what I love about this whole experience.  What ends up on the page is the result of whatever thoughts happen to be flowing through my mind at the moment.  (In full disclosure, for the sake of world peace I do filter on occasion).  Without a face to face audience I feel free to write what I think without the fear of being judged.  Much to my surprise I've found that blogging is one of the most liberating things I have ever experienced.

Because I'm enjoying this experience so much and because I'm not one to turn down a challenge, I've signed up to participate in BlogHer's NaBoPoMo challenge for November.  NaBoPoMo is a monthly contest that challenges bloggers to blog every day over the course of any given month. Some months have themes- often single words that can send one's thoughts in a thousand different directions (I love seeing how a simple word can trigger such varied responses).  This month's theme is a non-theme.  We are being challenged to write about anything that inspires us and to simply blog for blogging's sake.  Perhaps this challenge will be more difficult than past ones.  I like to think that it gives me more flexibility but since there isn't any right or wrong do I really need that flexibility?

So now that I've signed up, I'm committed to write something for each and everyone of the 30 days this month.  Am I crazy for taking on a new commitment?  Probably but since I enjoy writing so much I can look at is as carving out some daily "me time".  Ironically, November, a month filled with holidays, social engagements, and the tedious tasks of daily life might be the easiest one for me to attempt this feat.  Our plans call for us to stay close to home this month meaning I will have a consistent,  relatively reliable Internet connection (or at least as reliable of a connection as one can find in this part of the world).  Our varied holidays and social commitments ensure that I will have a steady stream of topics to think and write about this month. Will each entry be lengthy and through provoking?  Probably not.  Some posts will be down right brief.  I'm sure I'll cross post with my other blog on occasion but that is OK since the intent is to write and post every day.  I'm up for it so let the challenge begin.

One day down; twenty-nine more to go!