A New Twist on Thanksgiving

Yesterday our church provided dinner to three shelters and an inner city church. We called the event Thanksgiving Takeout-we took the food to the people. The members of our church cooked all the food and brought it to the church for distribution. We did the event on Saturday instead of Thanksgiving because so many churches and organizations offer meals on the holiday, but people are hungry everyday.  At one of the shelters the women were so happy to see us and we all saw ourselves in them. In this difficult economic environment so many people are a couple of paychecks away from being in a shelter. So this holiday season don’t spend so much time lamenting about what you can’t get or reflecting on how good it used to be. Think of doing something for someone other than a family member. We are looking forward to a new president but he can’t do it all, but if all of us commit to help someone this season we will not only help them, we will also be blessed by the experience.

America Has Truly Changed when Former Klansmen Admit Voting for Obama

Today, I was reading People Magazine and I came upon this quote “ On the morning of the election, I was at my gym, and there were two older guys talking. One guy said, “Can you believe 40 years ago I was hanging with the Klan in Louisiana, and today I voted for a black man for president?” His friend replied, “Well, people can change for the better, and it’s about time that America kept its promise to all people.” This is the kind of statement that makes you proud to be an American. There are so many people who might have harbored racist beliefs in the past, and they were able to move past them, and vote for the candidate that they felt could be best for this time. America was ready for change and candidacy of Barack Obama embodied the change we needed.

 

An Interesting Thanksgiving Blessing

Every year after we bless the food we go around the table and say what we are grateful for this year. Today my teenage son said something very interesting and somewhat troubling. He said one of the things he was grateful for is the fact that we are not in bankruptcy.  Fortunately, we are not in that situation and we proceeded to explain that to him, but his thoughts probably are reflective of so many children. Since September all we have heard is bad economic news. Times are so bad it makes me think of the character in The Wiz who said “don’t go bringing me no bad news”. These are difficult days and we as adults have to face this serious issue with serious solutions, but we have to be mindful of our children. No child should have to worry about bankruptcy. Sadly, this is a reality for so many families this year. My hope is the new administration will have some solutions as we go into a new year. We know our children hear the same news that we do but it is our job to offer them reassurance in these difficult days.

This Thanksgiving I am Thankful for…

I am grateful to have a family that loves me and appreciates me even when I am not at my most lovable. I am grateful for a core group of friends that always have my back. I am grateful to live in America a country that offers every citizen incredible opportunities. I am grateful to live in a country that elected Barack Obama. America showed his greatness when they judged a candidate by the “content of his character” not the color of his skin. I am grateful for my faith in God that sustains me in these troubled times. So now I will go and see if the turkey is finally thawed because it is time to start preparing the Thanksgiving feast. I wish everyone a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

Why Do We Put Our Presidents in a Bubble?

Being our president is a daunting task. We require people that are willing to commit their whole being to this job. Once the person is elected we begin to isolate them from the people and then we wonder why don’t they understand the needs of the people. When George Bush Sr. was running for president in 1992 while in a grocery store he marveled over the grocery scanners, he had never seen one before. Why would he? The president and the first lady do not run out to the local Giant Food store with a shopping list, but he was criticized and the press said he was out of touch with the people. How can they stay in touch? When Barack Obama was on 60 Minutes a couple of weeks ago he lamented about how he could not even go for a walk without the company of the Secret Service. Today Barack and Michelle Obama visited a food bank in Chicago and also took their daughters. They are trying to let their children know that there are people in our society that are not as fortunate as they are. They also visited a school and one of the kids asked the president elect what was it like to be followed around all the time. Obama said, “I gotta admit, sometimes it’s kinda strange … you just want to go take a walk or go out and ride your bike or something, and you always have someone with you. So you don’t have a lot of privacy and that’s one of the things you have to sacrifice in order to run for president.” I just hope that at some point Barack Obama gets a chance to take a solitary walk, and hopefully keep his Blackberry.

What Kind of First Lady will Michelle Obama Be?

When you are the first anything everything you do is scrutinized. Barack Obama will be the first African American president and Mrs. Michelle Obama will be the first African-American first lady. Everyone has an opinion on what she should do. I recently read an article on cnn.com written by Leslie Morgan Steiner,  in her piece she was suggesting that Mrs. Obama be an outspoken advocate. She should not follow the lead of the Bush women by silently supporting their husbands.  Steiner said “But here’s the beauty of Michelle Obama’s position: She wasn’t elected and she can’t be impeached. Therefore Michelle can be audacious and outspoken about inequities facing women and minorities in America. We live in a country with a crippling rate of teen pregnancy, the highest in the western industrialized world; our African-American women experience family violence at rates 35% higher than white women; and gender-based pay disparity costs women $2 million over a lifetime. Barbara Bush’s advice is particularly dangerous for Michelle Obama, given that African-American women have long been silenced by the “angry black woman” stereotype — despite good reasons to be angry, such as the facts that African-American infants die at twice the national average, and 40 percent of African-American women report suffering coercive sexual attacks by age 18. American women of all ethnicities need Michelle Obama to speak out about these problems and many others.” Steiner, who is white makes some interesting points, but I believe Michelle Obama will find her spot in the White House and she will speak out when she deems it is time. Mrs. Obama is not cut out of the radical Angela Davis mold, nor is she a meek and fragile lily, she is an accomplished woman who knows her husband is the one that was elected to implement change.

Barack Obama Can Handle the Clintons…Don’t Forget He Beat Them

 

The Clintons are a force to be reckoned with, but Barack Obama showed they are not an unbeatable force. Every since it was announced that Hillary Clinton would (possibly) be named Secretary of State everyone has asked how is the president-elect going to handle this dynamic duo? As Bill Clinton once said you “get two for one”. What people have seemingly forgotten is Obama beat this force of nature. They were Goliath and he was David with the mere “slingshot” he was able to slay them. So now he has selected Hillary Clinton to be his voice on foreign policy and that is what she will be. She will be a cabinet member that is subject to the president. Bill Clinton will not be running anything other than his mouth, and that is his right, but make no mistake Barack Obama can handle the Clintons he has already proved that.  

The Election is Over But the Fundraising Continues

During the election season I wanted a Barack Obama button. A friend of mine sent me an email that if you wanted a button simply fillout the information and they would mail one to you. I did and I  ended up on an email list of a PAC group. That was no problem, but I did not receive the button until about 3 days before the election, and it was as big as a nickel. So the election is over and the fundraising still continues. Today I received an email that asked for a commitment of $15 per month to help push the Obama agenda. So today I finally sent the email asking them to take me off the mailing list. I donated to the elect Obama fund this year, and now I am going to celebrate this victory. I am not ready to make a down payment on the next one.

Obama is the President-elect and George Bush is Still the President

Today President-elect Obama introduced his economic team. Everyone is so pleased with his selection that they want him to be president now. I was watching Lou Dobbs and he suggested that George Bush resign today one of his guest proposed swearing Obama in as the interim president until the inauguration. All of this was fodder for discussion since the fact is it is un-constitutional, but the bigger issue is that Americans need answers now. So now the pundits are clamoring for Obama to fill the “leadership vacuum”. this is very dangerous territory for Obama because it has to be clear that this is not a situation that he created. This is an inherited situation and George Bush is still the president. He might not look like the man in charge but he is still the president and he still has power, and he needs to use it. Just by virtue of being the president he can call the brightest and best to his office tomorrow, but he is choosing to serve out his last days like a prisoner waiting for release. So by doing nothing everyone is looking for Obama to solve the nation’s problems prior to taking office. Barack Obama is not the president he is the president elect and until he is sworn in President Bush must do the job that we are currently paying him to do.

Rosie O’Donnell Does Variety, Keith Olbermann Does Sports, but Both Do Politics…The Strange Mix of Politics and Entertainment

 

Back in the day the person that read the news was serious and somber. It was their job to give you the news and give it to you straight. The news reader had no opinion or any allegiance, but that was then and now we have a very different ball game. Rosie O’Donnell has a new variety show where they will be singing and dancing and making merry, but are we supposed to forget the Rosie that made her opinions very clear on The View and continues to have ongoing scrimmages with her former co-hosts? Keith Olbermann gives his opinion on any political issue that you can name on his MSNBC show Countdown, but on Sunday night he puts on his sportscaster hat, and he is back on the sidelines calling the plays. The reality is I agree with both of them on quite a few issues, but I just wonder can the viewer compartmentalize or do they even try when watching opinionated people like this put on their entertainment and sports hats?