I must say, I was quite proud to be an American this past Tuesday. Well, Wednesday in Taiwan. I mean, really proud. Americans did something right.

Not quite so proud of my co-workers who couldn't get the date right in my absence. I had Wednesday night off, and when I came in on Thursday for my shift, I picked up the day's paper from a stack at the entrance to review the previous day's work as we do everyday, and I immediately wondered why Tuesday's paper was on the stack. I'm not perfect, I miss mistakes that then go to press. But the date on the front page of a historic story? Come on.

Being a racial minority growing up in the U.S., it was hard to be proud of being American when you weren't considered American. Then the first time I started feeling proud to be American was after Sept. 11. I don't know why. Maybe the shock and outrage of that event made me realize that it's still my country and I did care about it. Why? Because I'm American. Simple.

Even Bush's bungled aftermath which should have returned me to cynicism towards America, didn't. But seeing Barack Obama with Michelle Obama on the stage after their victory, a black couple, side-by-side with Joe Biden and his wife, white couple, and thinking, that couple, the black one, will be the first family, not the white one, and that is huge.

I wonder why I haven't heard of any reporting on people who voted strictly on racial lines, because you know they're out there. People who voted for McCain, just because they would never vote for an African American. They might have been willing to vote Democratic after 8 years of Bush, but black? No way.

Instead, we just get reports that there is "no evidence" of racial bias or underlying, hidden racism in voting patterns. Give me a break.

There are a lot of racist people in the U.S., why should they be left out of reporting? Hate is different from racism. Hate groups might be better left out of reporting, but even they've gotten more coverage than the racists who might be willing to come right out and explain it.

There was a clip on CNN of an Italian guy saying that McCain would win because he was the "true American" and Americans would never let Obama become president. I want that guy interviewed.

I think racism is primitive and uncivilized, but it's out there, and it doesn't get stamped out by ignoring it. Racism, different from hate, is something people can come to terms with. Hate, on the other hand, is irrational and its social manifestations should be dealt with under the law.

I admit that I'm racist towards whites. I admit that I'm prejudiced towards blacks. I agree that it's primitive and uncivilized and would rather not be this way. But I deny that I harbor hate towards either of them.

My racism towards whites was more of a response to their racism towards me. I wasn't born racist against whites, I learned it. In grade school, I was taught to humiliate Asians as foreign, different, inferior. I was rewarded for differentiating myself from Asians by talking down about Chinese, Japanese and Koreans to prove I was American – like the white Americans who were dishing out the perceived approval.

And then college happened, and I learned what that was all about, and about history. Being predisposed against white people was actually quite natural in that light. Does that make any difference when I meet someone who happens to be white? Not at all. When I meet someone, my vibe is purely based on personality and what I get from them personally, nothing to do with their race.

My prejudice against blacks is the same, and I choose my words carefully. I have a judgment before I meet them, also based on my experience. However, that's more of a defense and doesn't come into play whenever I meet with another human being. I deny being racist against blacks. I pre-judge because of my experience with specifically African Americans being racist towards Asians, but that judgment can be discounted within 5 seconds of meeting a person.

As a race, I hold blacks in pretty high regard. As a race, well, let's just say it's better that I deal with whites on an individual by individual basis. I've met some very cool white people in Taiwan, but the bottom of the barrel worst experiences with anyone here has been with whites, period. And don't even get me started about the Chinese.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 12:52 a.m. - Still Halloween as far as partying goes.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 12:06 p.m. - Riding to Pingxi from where I live now in Taipei involves riding east along Rte. 5 into Xizhi, and about halfway to Keelung turn right onto Xiping Rd (Xizhi-Pingxi, 北31). It also involves climbing a mountain to get there. 

12:09 p.m. - The valley Xiping Rd. climbs slowly through until hitting the part on the map where the road becomes very squiggly (see above pic).  

12:38 p.m. - Panshiling Viewpoint. Fortunately I don't do climbs for the views at the top.  

12:42 p.m. - And now for the screaming downhill into Pingxi.

12:53 p.m. - Quaint township Pingxi. What blows my mind is that this is the Keelung River! I don't know where the source is, but at this point it's heading east towards the coast where you'd think it'd drain into the Pacific O, but no!, before it reaches the coast it turns around and heads back west into Taipei to drain into the Danshui River. Go fig.