Dear All,

As Election Day gets underway, I find myself unable to concentrate on anything else. I can only imagine what it’s like back home.

I’ve been battling a feeling of helplessness ever since I sent off my absentee ballot two weeks ago. I wish I could have flown in to help all those (KT, Dela, Sach, and more) who went into communities to promote voter registration and action for this year’s crucial election. I thank you so much for your efforts. Your contributions, along with the individual votes of every single one of you, are invaluable to the future wellbeing of our country and the world.

Living out here, I am continually astonished by the gulf that lies between Americans’ perceptions of themselves and their nation (my own included), and those of the rest of the world. Even though I am fully prepared for it, it is still shocking...having to contend daily with accusations or observations of the US that even I, as a well-informed American, have trouble acknowledging or defending against. It’s a continual struggle, preserving the loyalty that I instinctively bear for my country, while trying to understand things both objectively and through the eyes of foreigners.

All I know is this: if we continue along the path we have taken over the past few years, it will only provoke more hostility, more antagonism, and more estranged relations worldwide, distancing us even more from the consciousness of other nations. And, no matter how you spin it, being out of touch with the world is _not_ going to make us safer. Unable to truly comprehend the nuances of the threats against us, or even the potential alliances that can offer us inestimable aid, we are inviting disaster. For the sake of peace and stability in our country and the world as a whole, we must not allow this to happen.

I’m with you as you cast your vote today. I miss you all and desperately wish the very best outcome to all of this. Stay strong and keep fighting the good fight.