Have Sweet Dreams

Happy Valentine's Day, President and Mrs. Obama

Colors like that

Isn't it funny how one photo can start you to remembering unrelated experiences.

It happened maybe 15 years ago. I had finished my workout at Rex Wellness Center, and was changing into my swimsuit to go sit in the hot tub. It was a Saturday. I don't workout there anymore, since I moved 15 miles away from Rex. Maybe they still have Saturday Morning Family swim time. That was the reason for the kids in the ladies locker room.

The little girl and her mother were changing into their swim wear. The mother's suit was a floral with beige background; the little girl wore pink. She must have been about five, the friendly, easy-to-be-with age. I was doing the quick change half under my clothes, so as not to offend the mothers with my nakedness. The little girl smiled, and told her mother while pointing to me, "That's a pretty color."

My suit was a plain tank suit, easy to throw in the wash and have ready for my next workout. It was solid green, bright emerald green. The woman reacted as if I had touched the girl, and said, "We don't wear colors like that."

I was stunned. The things that raced through my head that I didn't say. "What are you trying to teach your child? You pale-faced heifer!" If you know me, you know I didn't say anything. My expression said, "You silly fool." It didn't surprise me that people still had thoughts like that in 1990-something. It did surprise me that they would say that to a child in my presence.

The photo speaks volumes. Laura Bush in her drab brown, and Michelle, my beautiful First Lady in red.

Michelle in whatever color she wants to wear, dazzling, bright, and confident.

Yes, we wear colors like that!!

Playing the Dozens with Al-Qaida

That old dude al-Zawahri apparently wasn't paying attention during the Presidential campaign. What does he think the response to calling President-elect Obama a "House Negro" will be. Does he really think he'll launch a missile and say, "Yo Momma?"

Doesn't he know our President's reputation for being the unflappable, No-Drama-Obama? The Original Mr. Cool, himself.

You had to have been there

William Ayers was interviewed by Chris Cuomo on Good Morning America this morning. Based on Chris' line of questioning and Ayers' responses, it became clear that there is a disconnect of about 30 years. Somewhere between 1970 and 2000, young people became apathetic. I commented often over those years about how college students were not politically active in anything the way we were in the 60's. I am truly thankful and impressed at how this current generation, "Generation-O" has taken the world by a storm and helped to elect our new President.

In the 60's we were in an undeclared war in Viet Nam. We were demonstrating against that war, fighting for voting rights across the South, and rising up against the failure of the cities in the North. Getting arrested was a badge of honor when your cell-mates where national leaders, and other students who took on the same cause. The closest I came to getting arrested was in Madison, New Jersey when I demonstrated against the local barber who refused to cut the hair of an African college student. I couldn't get arrested, but I was caught up in the emotion and the rhetoric of that time, shouting, "By any means necessary."

Most of us settled down into mainstream quiet lives and nobody considers us terrorists for all the involvement we had. I never owned a gun, won't have one in the house, but there are people I associated with in the 60's who probably caused my name to be put on a list with others who might by Palin standards be called "terrorists."

The guilt by association in light of all the social activism of 30-40 years ago makes no sense at all. Ayers described his association with Barack Obama in much the same way that Obama explained it himself. I have personally hosted gatherings in my house for political candidates who knew me only by way of a card that I returned in the mail saying I would volunteer. Nobody investigated my background. I have served on boards with people with whom I had no other connection than that board. I could probably meet most of them on the street and neither of us would even remember the other. The few that I even know the names are people who have been in the news since that time. Just being in the same place together is no indication of having the same philosopy, or even of sharing thoughts about anything other than the event at hand.

I'm glad that the majority of voters rejected the notion that Obama was "pallin' around with terrorists." I just hope we don't have to continue this conversation now that Ayers has rereleased his memoir.

I'm trying to stay away

I just can't help myself. I still click on all those links. Photos of Sasha and Malia, and Bridges around the world, Newspapers around the world.

I can't seem to get enough of our(my) new President-elect. Maybe I wasn't paying as much attention when we had the last changing of the guard, but it seems that Obama is getting more coverage during this transition. And I'm still excited. Just the thought of Michelle and my little girls moving into the White House. I'm getting goose bumps again just writing about it.

And we will be in Washington for the swearing-in and parade. I got on the list with our Congressman's office. But even if we don't get tickets, we'll be there in the crowd, cheering for our (my) new President!!

And dozens of people every day are still clicking on the blog I did on Obama love. I guess I'm not the only one. (If the video doesn't show, it means they're at it again)

Thoughts on a New Morning

I've talked to all my siblings over the last 12 hours, and the sentiment is the same. "I never thought I would live to see this day." And we think on what our parents would have thought if they were here.


My mind goes back to the first Presidential election I was aware of. I was seven years old in 1952, when my mother couldn't vote. She had left school early in the county where she taught English to get back to Petersburg before the polls closed. The polling place for our neighborhood was the corner store where Mother had to wait in line almost an hour before they told her she couldn’t vote because she didn’t have her receipt for paying the poll tax. I remember my late brother Ronald saying, "But Mother you were going to vote for Eisenhower."

Those barriers in the voting process were lifted through the Voting Rights Act back in the 1960's. Still so many of us did not participate in the voting process because of lack of faith in a country that continued to turn her back on so many of us.

This time was different. It was not just a matter of having a black man running for president. This time we have a community organizer who recognizes the power of the grass roots organization to get everyone involved in the process. I have participated in campaigns for other candidates in past years. In the past I stuffed envelopes, made calls, made contributions, stood in the rain holding a sign at the polls. Never have I been so engaged as this time. Never have I given so much of my time and money...you would think I was tithing when I got those emails from David Plouffe. THIS TIME, I knew would be different.

The tears will be coming all day today, tears of joy, tears of remembrance of where we've come from, tears of hope for this new day. Last night I hooted and howled when each successive projected state was announced, I cried when the Obama family took the stage in Grant Park, and I shivered with joy when Barack referred to Michelle as the next First Lady of the United States of America.

I pray for our new President, for his wisdom and strength. And I pray for his protection, that Jesus will build a fence all around him, fight his battles, let no enemy rise up against him.

A Prayer for Obama

Opie with a message

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

My favorite Youtube of the day

The kids are saying that Obama sonned McCain on this one.

Early Voting

Today was the first day of early voting in Raleigh, and we headed to the mall near us, Tinker, my brother and me. We parked in the curbside voting section because the line was long, and my brother can't stand that long and Tinker has his new titanium hip replacement. They had only four workers handling the curbside voting and there were two vans of seniors from retirement communities who were ahead of us. I decided to go wait in the regular line which I estimated as being 200 people.

When my brother called me to tell me that they were next in line, I joined them for this moment in history. This is one to tell our grandchildren about.

I'm guilty too

We've been sucked in, co-opted, distracted, and driven off course.

To quote Ariana Huffington:

The point is that Palin, and the circus she's brought to town, are simply a bountiful collection of small lies deliberately designed to distract the country from one big truth: the havoc that George Bush and the Republican Party have wrought, and that John McCain is committed to continuing. Every second of this campaign not spent talking about the Republican Party's record, and John McCain's role in that record, is a victory for John McCain.
~~~
The next few weeks are a test of Barack Obama. He needs to dramatically redirect this election back to a discussion over the issues that really matter -- the issues that will impact the future of this country. A presidential campaign is a battle and this is the time for Obama to show some commander-in-chief skills.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/sarah-palin-a-trojan-moos_b_124867.html

So let's all get back to the issues. Pick your favorite one from this list and blog about it.

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

I'm going to start with this one:
(I'll be back with my personal take on it)

Help American Families Stay Healthy

Provide Universal Health Care and Lower Health Costs: Barack Obama is committed to signing universal health legislation by the end of his first term in office that ensures all Americans have high-quality, affordable health care coverage. His plan will save a typical American family up to $2,500 every year on medical expenditures by providing affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage for every American; modernizing the U.S. health care system to contain spiraling health care costs and improve the quality of patient care; and promoting prevention and strengthening public health to prevent disease and protect against natural and man-made disasters.

For more information on Barack Obama's health care plan, please visit the Health Care Policy page

No Child Left Behind

At a town hall meeting in Terre Haute, Indiana today, Sen. Obama answered a question about No Child Left Behind.

Alicia Keys/Michelle Obama - the Remix

Superwoman (Yes We Can)

Obama Souvenir

This came in the mail yesterday. The envelope bulged a little bit, so I was hoping for a new Obama-Biden button.

Text Obama

I got a text message from Barack tonight. If you're one of his supporters you may have signed up too.....so you would be one of the first to be notified....when he decides...on his running mate. AIIIIIII!!

This is what the text message said:





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Please reply to this message with your 5 digit ZIP code for periodic local Obama news and updates. Be the first to know when Barack is coming to your area.

I nearly had a heart attack for nothing.

He's agreed to allow Hillary to have her name put into nomination at the convention. I have a bad feeling about this, Luke. Well it will be a bit nostalgic to return to the old days of conventions when they had big demonstrations in the aisles. A gazillion balloons and tons of confetti, so the "Great State of New York" can cast it's votes for the Senator from New York. Get ready for the spectacle.


Anyway, Michelle is gorgeous, isn't she?

Obama Love story

LAWD!!! I'm going to have to buy a Clay Aiken CD.

Throw the rock and hide the hand

You remember those kids in the neighborhood when you grew up, the ones who didn't come face to face with you, but tried to get you anyway through an act of cowardice. Hurt you, but don't let you know who did it, so you never know who to come after.

That's the kind of stuff that happens in a political campaign. Obama has been and will continue to be attacked, not directly from John McCain or his official campaign staff, but from all kinds of splinter groups who can't be directly tied to anybody.

The emails full of lies started before he even announced his candidacy. At first he ignored the statements that questioned his religious affiliaation, and even his nationality. Ordinary citizens like me can say, "I won't dignify that kind of ignorance with a response." But when you're running for President, you have to respond to all those attacks. Just ask Michael Dukakis about Willie Horton. Ask John Kerry about Swift Boat. Those stories don't die unless you meet them head on.

I'm glad Obama is going on the offense with http://fightthesmears.com and I hope supporters will report all the smears as soon as they happen.

Aside from the lies that take on a life of their own thanks to our wonderful internet, there is another insidious tack going on, via an attack on Obama's family. He can say Michelle is off-limits all he wants, but the real motive is to paint her as ghetto ("baby mama," fist bump), bitter, racist, and not quite up to the role of "First Lady" organizer of teas and social events at the WHITE House. Maybe Barack can slip through as "multi-racial." (Aren't most of us in this country?), but "they" want the world to see that Michelle and Malia and Sasha might be too black.

We can't let the distractions get us off course. When they stick to the issues, McCain is so diametrically different from Obama that there should be no gray area. And we can't let the smears get anybody confused about what the issues are.

The photo above comes from http://www.truthfighters.tv/blogcomment/?blog_id=175, I got from Tucker's blog.

Why isn't Obama countering the "Popular vote" fallacy?

Is he just calmly walking to winning and ignoring Hillary's argument that doesn't hold water anyway.

Caucus votes don't count according to her math. So why did she spend millions in Iowa and New Hampshire?

They said he was unprepared...

McCain says he doesn't know much about economics

Hillary says, "Me too!"