Across The Bay Of Bengal
The election of Barack Obama is indeed exhilarating, historic and an honor to be a part of. I’m not an Obamabot with eyes glazed over , but I am thrilled to see the happy and grateful faces on the TV screen and students/faculty around campus. The American Studies department at Columbia is already in a tizzy to figure out what this all means. Is Obama’s election a fluke in the style of a beloved Jimmy Carter, who had a hostile congress at his throat? Or do we actually have the making of a new era? I think the latter.
Regardless, let’s relish the moment. There is so much work to be done, that it will take an exceptional leader to show us how to unite and bring some peace, civil liberties, general freedom and fun back to our lives. And Barack Obama has met the challenge already. John McCain certainly joined Obama in the job of uniting the country last night, and I was moved. Avanti.
Here’s one of my favorite passages that was Hunter’s original Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas introduction, which he didn’t publish it at the time. He is writing about being part of a moment in history when it was possible, which makes this election that much more exceptional to me:
Yeah…maybe so, and if that’s the way it happens…well, at least I’ll know I was there neck deep in the madness, before the deal went down, and I got so high and wild that I felt like a two-ton Manta Ray jumping all the way across the Bay of Bengal.
It was a good way to go, and I recommend it highly — at least for those who can stand the trip.
–Hunter S. Thompson, The Great Shark Hunt
On that beautiful note, I just want to mention that I’m checking out for a while. I have piled my plate up with the last month of studies for this semester, including a major paper on W.E.B. Du Bois, final edits on the Interview Book, "Ancient Gonzo Wisdom," LSAT preparations and Woody Creeker projects. (My heroic friend Jerri Merrit has started a template to bring the Woody Creeker online!). Eventually, I’ll have regular columnists and articles from past and present for you to keep in touch with the gonzo family in Woody Creek, which stretches from Lenado to Kent, England, to Australia and god knows where — if you love Hunter, you’re included.
I’ll still be posting on Huffington Post, and Talkleft I’m sure. And will check in here periodically. If you have quotes from Hunter’s work you’d like me to post, email them. But for now, I have to tend to other priorities. This blog has been a saving grace for my spirit, and I can’t thank you enough for your support and emails over the last few years. I’m not going anywhere, just a quiet preparatation for a month or two or so. Check in for Hunter’s wisdom as often as you’d like. Hope to catch up with you soon. Lots of love to you.
Until next time, your friend,
Anita Thompson
