President-elect Obama: Please Reserve a Seat

I have a suggestion for President-elect Obama (I just love saying that: President-elect Obama!); so I have a suggestion for him and his team, as they plan his inauguration: It is to please reserve a seat of honor for all those who did not live to see him take office.

My suggestion is that, prominently placed, up on the stage where he takes the oath of office and gives his acceptance speech, that there is ONE CHAIR left empty as a symbol for all slaves and civil rights workers and ordinary citizens; those whose names history remembers, and those whose names have been forgotten; all those who marched, and worked; sacrificed and bled to make this momentous day possible, but who didn't live to see it. I think that having one seat that is left empty, so that they have a symbolic front row seat, would be a good way to remember them.

It is going to be a great day to celebrate, and maybe we should all save a symbolic seat at our parties, for those special guests.

Election Day!

Here in New York City, there has been a palpably festive atmosphere everywhere, all day. This is unlike any Election Day I've ever experienced before.

I voted early this morning (6:30AM). I've been voting in the same place for 18 years, and there are never more than 5 or 6 people there when I go to vote. Today the line was down the block, and the wait was over an hour and a half long. No one complained: It was a community happening.

As I was waiting in line, I thought of some of my earliest, and most vivid, current events memories from my childhood; of watching, on the news, the injustice of US government officials using police dogs and fire hoses on peaceful civil rights protestors who were trying only to get black Americans the right to vote. And today, I got to vote for a black man for President. And not just any man, but someone I believe to be a once-in-a-generation inspirational leader, who has maintained the dignity of the high road despite all the low blows and bigotry coming at him from the other side.

Back in September, one of the best essays of this campaign season, one that I think best summarizes how I feel about Barack Obama, and how he has handled this campaign, was published on Huffington Post. It was titled, 'Who is Barack Obama? Atticus Finch', by Eric Lundgaard, and you can find it here.

What an amazing day! (Now the anxious wait for the results to come in!!)

Halloween: A Socialist Redistribution of Candy

You know what happened to me on Friday? Some snotty, little monsters came to my door begging for candy!

Can't their lazy parents buy them candy? I have worked hard and earned enough to buy all the candy I want, and I can eat it whenever I want too, too (because I am a grown-up!) So should I be forced, by these little marxists, to give away my candy to them?; the candy that I have worked so hard for, while they have not?!? NO, I say!

So, I just yelled at them, 'Halloween is just a socialist redistribution of chocolate!', and slammed the door in their little faces.

I spent Saturday scrubbing obscenities off my front door.

The little f*ckers can't spell either. I blame those damn, unionized public school teachers.


[I'm John McCain, and only I would approve such a ridiculous message.]