Event: Why I am giving Obama my hard earned cash; because I want you to as well.

To kick this off, I won't recap the last year-and-a-half of election drama except to say that this, I believe, is more important than any other election I've experienced except perhaps 2000. Which may be a tie. I have many reasons for believing this, and I'm sure you have many thoughts on the subject too, but the most eloquent and trenchant observation I've heard on this comes from outside of the United States, in an article my mom sent me yesterday.

guardian.co.uk | Jonathan Freedland: The world's verdict will be harsh if the US rejects the man it yearns for.

Now the British don't necessarily have the right to speak for the whole world, but then, of course, certainly neither do we. We behave as if we do, and Freedland's observations strike me as spot on as to the likely response.

'For America to make a decision as grave as this one - while the planet boils and with the US fighting two wars - on the trivial basis that a hockey mom is likable and seems down to earth, would be to convey a lack of seriousness, a fleeing from reality, that does indeed suggest a nation in, to quote Weisberg, "historical decline".'

Another way to put it is we don't want to have to resort to a reprisal of this: Sorry Everybody.

So I am feeling today in particular that I do not want McCain to be elected, and if I cannot count on large numbers of Americans to take the high road, by which I mean, to critically scrutinize this choice and make their decision responsibility, than maybe my own efforts have to go beyond a check in a ballot. If the stakes are as high as I say they are, then I should put my money where my mouth is.

That is what I am doing.

Today I will make a substantial financial contribution to the Obama campaign.

Please consider doing this as well.

Click here to make a donation to Obama/Biden for President.