Congratulations, America!

We did it!! After all these long, hard years, we finally got smart and chose the best possible candidate and presidential team for the tough job ahead. I honestly could not be prouder.

Senator McCain gave an impressive and heartfelt concession speech. Governer Palin mercifully remained silent. I commend them both, but especially McCain, for maintaining composure and conducting a graceful exit.

I am grateful for all of the millions of volunteers who worked so hard to get Senator Obama elected. Thanks to them, I won't need to leave my beloved homeland. With a renewed sense of patriotism, I'll be tossing out those applications for Canadian citizenship and maintaining my newfound vigilance against the political wrongs that evil-doers seek to commit against us.

Mostly, I am thankful beyond words to the brave gentleman who is now on the road to world leadership -- a man I've admired since reading his first biography, Dreams from My Father -- our national savior, Barack Obama. God truly has blessed America. And may she continue to bless this leader and his family.

And for those of you who sat on your asses, refusing to vote even though you held that power, shame, shame on you. Wasteful Americans, it's time to wake up. Believe in America again. Take back your power and make a difference for your country. Or, if you won't, please leave and let the rest of us build our nation back to greatness.

Yay us!

Election Inspecting

I am writing this on my lunch break as Election Inspector in my little hamlet on the Hudson. I don't know how it's going in the rest of the country, but the districts in my region are reporting record turnouts. My particular district is almost at 50 percent turnout (out of all registered voters) and I predict we'll hit that before 3 PM. Other districts have already surpassed the halfway point.

I remain hopeful, and excited. I think we can really pull this off. An Obama presidency is, I believe, the last hope for America.

But what will I blog about after he wins?

Four Days and Waiting to Exhale

I'm feeling guilty because I didn't make the trek to Montgomery County, PA, like I said I would. I put my business first; is that so wrong? When $$ are so hard to come by, I've got to earn them while I can. After all, my retirement account has already shrunk by 50 percent. I kid you not.

I might feel less guilty if I make my 25 calls to Ohio voters, which I just pulled off Obama's Neighbor to Neighbor Web site, but I'll save my relief until after 7 PM tonight. That's when my Sprint calls are free. Hey, I'm as altruistic as the next human, but in this economy I'd have to be crazy not to economize!

Want to do your part to help get out the vote for Obama?

Click here to find a Last Call for Change House Party in your neighborhood.
Click here to sign up for the Drive for Change in Pennsylvania.
Click here to join Neighbor to Neighbor and call voters in battleground states.
Click here to encourage me.

Check Out Hockey Mama for Obama

Lots of people have been comparing Sarah Palin to Eva "Evita" Perón. I'm not sure exactly who started it, but I believe it could have been Naomi Wolf, who called Palin "the muse of the coming police state."

Regardless of where this analogy originated, I beg to differ with it. However, it does provide useful fodder for You Tube satire. Take the following example -- an excellent exposé of Palin's ineptness produced by a friend of my Aunt Shirley's. Don't cry for me, Argentina.

Why Sarah Palin is an Idiot

I tried to make the title of this post sound nicer. I just cannot candy-coat the FACT that Palin is clueless about basic science. I've made efforts to maintain objective integrity in this blog, but there is no denying the idiocracy of Palin's October 24 remarks in North Carolina, which begin around 38 seconds into this clip.

Here's the transcript of what I'm talking about:

"Where does a lot of that earmark money end up, anyway? [...] You've heard about, um, these -- some of these pet projects they really don't make a whole lot of sense, and sometimes these dollars they go to projects having little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit-fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not!"

Never mind her derisive tone as she says the words "fruit-fly research," the idea that fruit-fly research could be included in the "pet projects having little or nothing to do with the public good" category is utter nonsense. As a scientist myself, it pains me to think just how close this ignorant individual is to leading my country.

Anyone who paid any attention to their high-school science class knows that flies of the genus Drosophila -- particularly D. melanogaster -- have been used as model organisms in genetic research for the past 100 years. If you don't believe me, check out the vast network of Internet resources that back up its importance.

Thanks to international research on this tiny insect, the public has a deep understanding of the human genome, embryonic development, and gene expression. In fact, its importance for human health was recognized by the 1995 awarding of the Nobel Prize -- arguably the most prestigious scientific award -- to fruit-fly researchers in medicine and physiology.

By going rogue on these and other topics of great importance to humankind, Palin proves herself to be prejudiced and ignorant -- a dangerous combination in public service. I can only hope and pray (because science and spirituality are not, in fact, mutually exclusive) that this charade ends on November 4 and that this lady returns swiftly to Alaska, never to be heard from again on the political stage.

Obama Ad du Jour

It's not even from his campaign, but from 60Frames, an independent media company. Enjoy Wassup 2008:

Has it really been eight years?!?

A Palin Insurgency?!?

Watch out for lipsticked pitbulls... those bad gals'll turn on ya! Rumor has it that Palin is now stepping out of bounds -- the bounds of her "handlers", that is. (I thought circus animals were the only ones who had handlers.)

According to Politico's Ben Smith,

"[Palin] has decided increasingly to disregard the advice of the former Bush aides tasked to handle her, creating occasionally tense situations as she travels the country with them... Palin blames her handlers for a botched rollout and a tarnished public image... A senior Republican who speaks to Palin... said Palin had begun to 'go rogue' in some of her public pronouncements and decisions."

Is that rogue or Rove? I don't want to sound mean, but it gives me great satisfaction to watch Mrs. I-Can-See-Russia fall on her sword.

12 Days and Counting

It's not that I've had nothing to say, it's that I haven't had time to say it. Thankfully, my "real" day job is taking all of my time. Gotta get it while I can, you know.

However, I came up for air tonight and found two goodies which I am delighted to share. The first is Larry David's comments on Huffington Post, Waiting for Nov. 4th, in which he compares the days leading up to election day to waiting for a biopsy result, only worse. Quoth the David:

"I can't subject other people to me in my current condition. I just don't like what I've turned into... This election is having the same effect on me as marijuana. All of my worst qualities have been exacerbated. I'm paranoid, obsessive, nervous, and totally mental. It's one long, intense, bad trip."

But the killer of David's post is the comments of the people, by the people, for the people. I can't get over how disgustingly relieved I felt reading about so many others (thousands!) who are going through the same unrelenting angst about this crazy election.

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Even better than Larry David's dose of realia is this little ditty I found in the Daily Koz. Skippy, I don't know who you are, but I think you're brilliant. This one's a must-see:

Like it? Share it.

Obama-Biden Tax Calculator

Check it out:

http://taxcut.barackobama.com

I'll save $500 or more under an Obama/Biden administration and GOOSE EGG under McStain/Pallor. How 'bout you?

New Music Video: Sarah Palin Remixed

Okay, I did recommit to maintaining political integrity (an oxymoron?) on this blog, but I just found this video and if I don't share it I'll implode. Great job, BAMfactory!