A different image for Loki

Sorry for the lack of posts yesterday. All is OK as far as I know. Mom will call me with today's report, and I'll post in a couple hours. For now, though, I'd like to say a few things about developments in the news this week from the perspective of a new father.

I have been engaged in news and policy for some time. These things take on a strange new importance as a father. I can no longer fall back on mere cynicism and think, "To hell with it all!" It is now Loki's future too.

My reaction to the electoral changes this week are not simply partisan politics. And it's not even primarily about policies. My feeling today focuses on perception and image, which are more important than one may think.

As an American who occasionally travels abroad, I have been in an awkward position in recent years. If you haven't done so yourself, it is difficult to perceive the dramatic shift in recent years in how people around the world view the US. (I highly recommend reading this and that.)

Loki is a dual American-Dutch citizen, likely spending much of his childhood in the Netherlands with an American father. I don't want him to be asked the accusatory questions as I have, with their mixture of disbelief and disgust. In my experience, Europeans truly want to like America. I look forward to my child being asked about, and associated with, a shining city upon a hill, a beacon of opportunity, diversity, engagement, justice, and freedom - not a dark cloud of confrontation and aggression looming overhead.

Despite all that his tiny body faces physically, I have much hope for Loki's future. Now, it's just a bit more.