I had a friend over for the weekend, and after spending almost all of Saturday with our gaming group (which, btw, was mainly fun!), we didn't do much yesterday apart from
a) going to vote, and
b) watching TV while keeping our fingers crossed!
When I switched off the TV, which was around 8.20 p.m., Schröder was behind by about 1.8 per cent. My friend told me not to give up hope before he left, but I already saw my worst fears realized.

Which was why I was totally thrilled today to learn that he'd, in fact, won! By a tiny, tiny margin, yes, but still -- he won! As someone in the civil service, I guess I should have voted for the competition, but Stoiber just rubs me the wrong way. Always has, always will. I just have to see his grinning visage on an election poster, and I can virtually feel my stomach turn. Plus, certain quotes of his concerning immigration are too right-wing for me. I didn't want to have to make excuses to people from other countries (like so many Americans did after Bush 'won' the election ;-) ) for having that man at the helm. Urgh.

So many countries have made a shift to the right in the last few years. I wonder why -- is it a trend? If so, I'm glad we didn't join in.

I guess I'll always stay left of the middle -- thank God. I owe that to my teenaged crush (or rather: hero worship) of Claus von Stauffenberg and the other conspirators of the 20th of July. Several years ago, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, I spent a holiday in Berlin with my parents. While they did something else, I insisted to go my own way and visit the museum in the former Bendlerblock. I can still feel that touch of history in the inner courtyard; there, where that plaque is on the wall. The place they died. One day, I want to be able to be there around midnight, again on an anniversary of that day. To just sit there in the stillness of night, experiencing history like I just have to reach out and touch them, feel them, see them. The Germany they wanted wouldn't have been the one we have now; would, in fact, have most likely been worse since some of their ideas were reactionary and influenced by their Wehrmacht past. Still, they risked their lives to rid their country of Hitler, although they didn't succeed. They have spoilt me for the right of the political middle. For that, I thank God. But mostly, them. And I can't feel too sorry for their deaths that night, almost 60 years ago, since it spared them Berlin-Plötzensee.