My friend, Lucy Bohne, an English professor at a state college near Erie, Pennsylvania, wrote to her daughter today about Barack Obama’s victory. Lucy did a fine job describing how many people feel the day after the Senator's historic victory.

“Thank you for calling last night. It sounded like NYC had gone mad with joy!...I have spent the night in a roller coaster of amazement, shadowed by despair, counting the days between your birth and MLK's murder. Twelve, to be more or less exact. That was the joy--to think that 40 years later your generation would hand the White House over to the leadership of a black American. That is an amazing thing!

...The shadows--well, you know them. This amazing thing that happened in America--that only we, as Americans, can understand and share--won't make a difference to the world, to the children in Baghdad, Beirut, Gaza, and Teheran, and all the other places in the crosshairs of our guns--unless we make that difference. Might as well be brave and strong and admit that there is work to be done, struggles to embrace, disappointments to endure.

As the world media filled with the victory of Barack Obama, a defeat for atomic power in his own back yard sent a Solartopian message to the new administration.

In the Chicago-area communities of Oak Park, Berwyn and Riverside, voters approved by well over two-to-one a referendum asking that “our elected officials in Illinois take steps to phase out nuclear power in the state, replacing it with renewable sources such as wind and solar.”

The three communities currently rely on atomic power for some 75% of their electricity, which is supplied through Commonwealth Edison, a subsidiary of Exelon, America's largest nuke owner. With 11 operating reactors, Illinois has more reactors than any other state.

But 31,586 (68.3%) voters approved the referendum, versus 14,676 (31.7%) opposed.

Atomic energy will be one of the most critical issues the new administration will face. Obama was criticized by eco-advocates for taking campaign donations from Exelon. Both he and Vice President-elect Joe Biden expressed campaign support for atomic power.

There is something magical about story-telling. Who among us doesn't love stories? From an early age, we are exposed to fairy tales, fables, legends, and family lore. This election cycle has been particularly replete with personal narratives. Strong feelings were generated on all sides. People might love or hate the candidates, but few were indifferent. Many people who had never voted or been involved suddenly came alive. It was, in a word, exciting!

Here is the first in what I hope will be a series – voters sharing their Election 2008 experiences. It came from my friend, Gary Houston. He prefaced it this way:

Our good friend Jane, for many months a happy warrior in the Obama campaign, recalls being at Grant Park here. We've known her since she was born. The poignancy of her rapture is the real deal. Also click the link at the bottom for a great roll of Obama campaign moments.

Jane's story, in her own words

Last night was such an incomparable experience that I don't really know how to put it in words. More than 100,000 people were present, filling a park that is blocks long (and later the streets like a thick blanket).

Thanks to all of you within our Free Press community and across the nation whose hard work these past four years has resulted in such a historic day. Take some time to reflect on the achievement and enjoy the partial restoration of democracy in the U.S. and Ohio. There are still some major flaws in our electoral system that need addressed. Our movement will not end here. Just remember, our president-elect Barack Obama will only be successful in achieving our hopes of a peaceful and just world if we the people stay strong and vigilant.