God Bless Us Everyone: Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday Morning Salute

Here Comes the Cavalry!

If anyone doubted there is a new day dawning, check this out:

Transition advisers to President-elect Barack Obama have compiled a list of about 200 Bush administration actions and executive orders that could be swiftly undone to reverse White House policies on climate change, stem cell research, reproductive rights and other issues, according to congressional Democrats, campaign aides and experts working with the transition team.

A team of four dozen advisers, working for months in virtual solitude, set out to identify regulatory and policy changes Obama could implement soon after his inauguration. The team is now consulting with liberal advocacy groups, Capitol Hill staffers and potential agency chiefs to prioritize those they regard as the most onerous or ideologically offensive, said a top transition official who was not permitted to speak on the record about the inner workings of the transition.

In some instances, Obama would be quickly delivering on promises he made during his two-year campaign, while in others he would be embracing Clinton-era policies upended by President Bush during his eight years in office.

Flava!

Still Processing Yesterday's Election

Alleluia. I am so exhausted from emotion and filled with good cheer that I can't think straight. More to come, but this will do for now:

Daughter of Slave Votes for Obama

Imagine a life crossing THREE centuries. Imagine voting for a black man for President of the United States, the same country that allowed your father to be considered property. It strains credulity, but here is 109-year-old Amanda Jones' story, and of course this takes place in Texas:

"Jones' father herded sheep as a slave until he was 12, according to the family, and once he was freed, he was a farmer who raised cows, hogs and turkeys on land he owned. Her mother was born right after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Joyce Jones said. The family owned more than 100 acres of land in Cedar Creek at one point, she said.

Amanda Jones' father urged her to exercise her right to vote, despite discriminatory practices at the polls and poll taxes meant to keep black and poor people from voting. Those practices were outlawed for federal elections with the 24th Amendment in 1964, but not for state and local races in Texas until 1966.

Amanda Jones says she cast her first presidential vote for Franklin Roosevelt, but she doesn't recall which of his four terms that was. When she did vote, she paid a poll tax, her daughters said. That she is able, for the first time, to vote for a black presidential nominee for free fills her with joy, Jones said."

The older I get, the more grateful I am for the sacrifices and hard work of preceding generations. This woman personifies just about every kind of social ill that this country has the capability to throw at us. And, she survived.

So, let's do Amanda proud on Tuesday, folks. She deserves it.

My Little Town

Being bad with the maths and an ostrich by nature when it comes to money matters, I was startled yesterday when the bad economy almost literally hit home. Late yesterday afternoon I went for a walk in my neighborhood to shake off the work week blues. As I turned the corner, I came upon a cute little stucco house that had recently been sold. As I approached this time I noticed it was again for sale this time by its new owners: THE GOVERNMENT. Yes, a home foreclosure in my sweet little neighborhood. I had to take a picture of this unfortunate occurrence because it sent a bit of a chill down my spine. It reminded me of the reality of the news stories, and the credit crunch and the layoffs and everything else we've been hearing about lately.

While we tend to be relatively conservative in our spending and sometimes I question why we don't live a little better (closet space? what's that?), it's times like these that I am thankful that we don't have a lot of debt. We went through that when we were younger and took risks because we had an expectation of time to make up any losses. Now, I'm glad that we are living within our means, but like everybody, we're a lost job away from losing health insurance and eating catfood for dinner.

The other thing I do know is that these times will pass. We lived through similar times back in the '80s, and again when the dotcom bubble burst. And it does appear to be cyclical. So, riding it out, not looking at our 401k balances, seems the best way to go.

But I still feel bad about the neighbors.

Seriously, we can!

This is Some Funny Shit!

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Amen, Brother Barack

More Good News from Colin Powell

Finally, at long last, a grown-up is speaking to us all.

Lizard Man

All during the debate, you could hear Grandpa wheezing and gakking away like some kind of amphibian. Grandpa almost made it through the contest without his real self showing through: "Look! I think I caught a fly on my tongue!"

Wish I'd Said That

Although I haven't yet put this thought into words, this post at Andrew Sullivan's blog crystallizes just what it is about Sarah Palin that I can't abide. One of his astute readers wrote:

I just want to ask: can anyone, anyone, imagine Condoleeza Rice or Margaret Thatcher or even Hillary Clinton for God's sake, winking at the nation and/or being coquettish in any national format?

Yeah. Just checking.

Worse than Bush?

Here's another nail in the coffin aka The McCain Campaign. Rolling Stone does a long feature on him this month (which, truth be told, I haven't yet finished reading). But when it starts out by comparing Grandpa with the Chimp and saying it's very even, except the Chimp was a better pilot, I have a feeling I know where it's going. Enjoy the complete article here.

Hat Tip to Redbeard.

Like Taking Candy From a Baby

Woooohooo... I am cautiously optimistic

It's Friday...Let's Dance!

This Will Wake You Up

Grandpa Doesn't Like Michigan

Well, it seems that recent events have caused Grandpa to re-evaluate where he's spending his campaign dollars. And today we find out that he's giving up on Michigan. We just need a couple more of those swing states to continue to move Obama's way and this could turn into a blow-out. I'm careful not to get too high on these things - anything can happen. And God only knows McSame might come up with a few more of his "surprises."

But something tells me that the erratic behavior of recent days has been exactly what has doomed him. I think the public is tired of the overly-dramatic and is ready for the calm, sure hand of a smart and thoughtful president. We'll see.

I have hope.

Get Your Latest Poll Numbers Here

Holy cow. I hate to get too over the top with the good news, but things are looking great for Barack. Today's CNN polls:

• Florida: Obama 51%, McCain 47%, with a ±3.5% margin of error.

• Minnesota: Obama 54%, McCain 43%, with a ±3.5% margin of error.

• Missouri: Obama 49%, McCain 48%, with a ±3.5% margin of error.

• Nevada: Obama 51%, McCain 47%, with a ±4% margin of error.

• Virginia: Obama 53%, McCain 44%, with a ±4% margin of error.

Yes, indeed, with only 33 days to go, I'm quite pleased with where this has been going. And be sure to be in front of your TV tomorrow night at 9 to see what could be a major body blow to Grandpa's campaign.

Woo-fuckin'-hoo.