Well, it's finally here...

a day I have waited for it seems like an eternity. It was worse than a kid anticipating Christmas. The days the hours the minutes rolling by like molasses in winter. But finally, finally the endless days of anxiousness and anticipation have paid off.

It's National Indian Pudding Day.

It seems appropriate to hold this day in mid November, as we approach Thanksgiving. Native American Indians were very much a part of the first Thanksgiving feast. It is quite likely that these puddings were served, and enjoyed, at that first Thanksgiving.

American Indian puddings are defined as a number recipes of native American Indian origin. Generally, they include molasses and cornmeal. Apples were often an ingredient. They were usually baked.

Make sure to enjoy your American heritage, and a dish or bowl of Indian pudding, as you celebrate National Indian Pudding Day.

How do you like that? Two molasses references in one post. You certainly get your moneys worth here.

I will be out of pocket for a few days. Going to Seattle to the UCLA football game. An annual trek undertaken by my brothers and I. This year Dad and nephew Tod are coming along. We look forward to it with as much anticipation as National Indian Pudding Day.

Because when I think Thanksgiving...

I think Mexican food!

Saw this article on the Dallas Morning News website "Make a Tex-Mex Thanksgiving with These Recipes". I refuse to link to it. Is there nothing sacred? I don't think I'll hold my breath waiting for the ripping Irish stew recipe just in time for Cinco de Mayo. Coming soon to the MSM near you: "Brighten up Your Christmas with the Koran!" "Make Easter complete with a Jewish Prayer Shawl".

Morons.

You hear Obama may be getting his own holiday? But a weekly meeting at a McDonald’s restaurant does not seem to rise to the level of a mass movement, even if it’s held twice a day to get both the Breakfast Burrito and the BigMac demographic. You can chalk it all up to enthusiasm and anticipation – harmless at best, a benchmark for the depths of disenchantment at worst.

Conservatives cannot help but be saddened and left out – the only possible event that could lift their spirits right now would be a headline that said REAGAN, BACK FROM THE DEAD, EATS BIN LADEN AND CRAPS TAX CUT.

There are rumors of new Executive decrees which include magic Federal dollars for stem-cell research that uses human embryos - if you have any objections, you hate science - and a ban on domestic drilling and nat-gas exploration in public lands in Utah. (If you have any objections, you hate the environment.) The two form a nice mirror image: the former was a ban put in place to preserve a particular definition of human life; the latter is a ban lifted to preserve the environment. Again, it’s understandable: we only have one Utah, but we can always make more people. As long as they don’t live in Utah.

Will executive unilateralism remain a bad thing, a threat to our rights, or suddenly gain favor with old critics? Hmmmm. Cue the Jeopardy! theme. That’s a stumper.

Just sitting here...

Sunday afternoon. Kelly and the kids go back to church Sunday night, I don't because, for those who don't know, I am Catholic and going to church twice in one day is just too much for my non-Baptist mind to handle, so I have the house to myself.

Kelly found out yesterday that her cousin passed away, very unexpectedly. He was 43. He died of a seizure apparently. Kelly and he grew up together. At Christmas and Thanksgiving they would always get together with extended family. I have been regaled with many a story about their escapades. It is a very close-knit family.

I did not know him as well as Kelly, obviously, so I have the luxury of looking at this from a different perspective. It is one of those take-stock-in-your-life moments. Which is different from a life-changing moment.

Why is it human nature that it takes something like this to make us realize what we have? Could be because if you think about how fleeting life actually is you may drive yourself crazy. Content with going to work, coming home, hugging the kids and kissing the wife; that's the day to day routine.

In a perfect world, the fact that the sun rises everyday should be enough to remind us what we have. But this world isn't perfect. And neither are we.

I guess we do the daily routine to show what is important to us. I know I go to work and make money to put food on the table, clothes on their back and a roof over their head. And the most important thing, their nice warm beds-with blankets-into which I tuck them. In my own way, I make it known to them what they mean to me. And I know they see and feel it when Madison tells me she loves me; when Ian gives me a hug and says "I love you Daddy"; when Chompy smiles when I come home and reaches out her hands to me so I will pick her up and hold her. I know the subsequent blows to my face are just love pats. Sweet girl.

And I know Kelly knows when she came home last night after hearing the news. She was crying in the kitchen and as I gave her a hug she said he was only 43 and died of a heart attack, that's what we thought then, and she was worried about me. I told her that yes there were things I needed to do but my heart is "extremely strong", the cardiologists words not mine, and if anything I would meet my demise through a road rage incident not a heart attack...I thought it was funny.

In Good Will Hunting, the Robin Williams character says his wife was like an angel that God put on earth just for him. I fell sorry for the guy.

He only has one angel while I have four.

It's official...

Chompy is walking.

She took her first steps yesterday. I was not there to witness the historical event but Kelly called me as soon as it happened.

Last night she took a step or two but was mostly trying to dodge Madison and Ian jumping on the pillows.

It's all down hill from here.

I'm feeling prolific today...

I was just on Facebook and read my niece Tori and my nephew Tod's reaction to the election.

I am proud as hell. (Yes, mom I cursed. Sorry but it had to be done)

My brother and sister-in-law and my sister and brother-in-law did one heck of a job in raising these kids. I was not there witnessing the process take place but I can bet you in the course of their 18 years they never heard Mom or Dad say this is what we believe and you will too. I'll bet they were told to find out for themselves the issues and the facts and to make up their own minds.

Of course living in a house with conservatives probably has some sway on what you believe: although ask William F Buckley if that's the case. His son voted for Obama.

I have always maintained that it would be much easier to be a liberal. Universal Health Care? You bet! Allow all illegals into the country? You bet! Abortion on demand no questions asked? You bet! No more troops in foreign lands? You bet! Throw money at everything? You bet!

The liberals are the children and we are the grown ups. They do what they want to. We do what we need to. They want to eat the whole bag of candy after halloween. We have to make sure that doesn't happen. They want to watch cartoons all day. Nope. Candy for breakfast. I don't think so.

Watching TV or going to movies or listening to music would be so much easier.

Benjamin Franklin once said "If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins." Liberals are passionate without reason, without thought of repercussion.

He also said "When the people find they can vote themselves money,
that will herald the end of the republic."

I see the passion Tod and Tori have for their beliefs, their conviction, and am encouraged that Ben may just be wrong on that last one. At least I hope so.

So, if you listen...

to the McCain campaign, Sarah Palin was the problem. You know the one who had 20000 people at every rally. The one who actually moved McCain ahead of Obama after her introduction. The one who is a true conservative. The one who actually cleaned up corruption in her own party.

Yea, that one.

I don't know where the McCain staffers are coming from since no one can seem to find any of them, but this is just par for the course for McCain. Something doesn't go your way, blame the other guy. First Bush now Palin. I don't think he understands that the maverick thing will only take you so far. Call me crazy but I think support from your base is normally a prerequisite for winning an election.

He didn't have it.

The proof.

Palin gave it to him. But the ultimate fact that a VP pick doesn't sway an election came into play.

Make no mistake, McCain was a media pick. In 2000 he was the media darling, the "Maverick" who bucked the conservative system. The moderate who reached across the aisle. Bush was closer to being a conservative than McCain was so they touted McCain.

Look at 2008, Romney, Thompson, Huckabee, Giuliani, McCain. Which one of these was the least conservative? You could make a case that Giuliani is and I might agree with you but regardless McCain was certainly in the shallow end of that conservative pool. Which reminds me, we have to close our primaries. I don't want Hippie McTreeHugger voting for my candidate. But I digress, I think Romney would have stood a much better chance against Obama especially with his economics background.

It's all water under the bridge now I guess.

We just need to quit lobbing up 70 year old war veterans for the libs to keep smashing back at us.

I now begin my preparation for 2012. Jindal? Palin? Pawlenty? Putnam? Thune? I'm not sure. I really like Jindal. But do we want to sacrifice an up and comer in 2012 at the altar of Obama? Unless we have Carter era inflation and misery indexes I don't see him not winning another term.

I'm tired.

I know from funny...

and this is funny. (To pause the music hit the pause button on the music player. It is the button with two parallel vertical lines.)

I may be more sad today...

than I was yesterday. Michael Crichton died yesterday.

Obama was expected. This was not.

He is in my triumvirate of political writers. They are in no particular order, Michael Crichton, Mark Steyn and James Lileks.

You may not know his name but you are familiar with his works: Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Sphere, Disclosure, Congo, Airframe among others. He was also the Executive Producer of "ER".

He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard. He received his MD from Harvard Medical school. He recieved numerous fellowships in Anthropology and he was a visiting writer at MIT. In short, he was brilliant.

I urge you to take the time to read the next two links. The first is what he wrote about the MSM in 1993. He was quite prescient.

The second is much longer. So put the kids to bed, get a Diet Coke or your refreshment of choice and come back and read it. It is a phenomenal dissertation on the science of Global Warming, its relation to public policy and what a farce that relationship is.

RIP, sir.

To keep listening to the wonderful score by John Williams simply right click on the link and click on Open Link in New Window.

Mediasaurus

Global Warming Schlobal Warming

Well, there you go...

I was preparing myself for this but hoped it wouldn't happen. This is of course an historic event in our nation's history. But I'm not talking about what you think I'm talking about. Let me list the ways in no particular order:

1. The Clinton era is over. By the time she can run again, she'll be 70. Unless she was promised a Supreme Court seat for her obedience, she will now just be the junior senator from New York. That's one good thing.

2. No more John McCain, my friends. His time is finally done as well. What he did to Bush these past 8 years was nothing short of criminal. It's what a 5 year old does when he doesn't get his way. He pouts and whines. He took every opportunity he could to stick in Bush's eye because of his defeat in 2000. At least now he can go back to being the senior senator from Arizona and try to stop us from spending too much. Good luck with that.

3. The race debate has just had quite the paradigm shift. Are the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world going to be able to make a living anymore? If anyone cries racism or oppression all we have to do is point them to the White House. If this country is so inherently racist, Oprah, Charles Barkley, Whoopi, Danny Glover, et al, how could a black man have possibly been elected President? Who will the African American community blame for their plight now?

4. This country has proven it has the attention span of Boo Radley. We, no they, just elected a guy to the most powerful job on the face of the planet whose only job has been a south Chicago community organizer. And nobody is exactly clear on what they do. You see I don't consider being a senator a job. Senators are never held accountable. Even for the votes they cast. There is way too much wiggle room.

5. Another paradigm shift. I'm off to the mall to sell razor blades so people can scrape off their “Question Authority” bumper stickers. Just remember: Dissent is still the highest form of patriotism. Except now it will be practiced by the lowest form of people.

6. It will be interesting to see how the entertainment industry adapts. They are not going to have us to push around anymore. Will they make fun of Obama like they mercilessly have Bush and Cheney and McCain and Palin? I'm guessing they'll pick on Biden. Then man is a walking gaffe machine. The only reason he opens his mouth is to change feet. It will be pure coincidence that they waited until after the election to pick up on that.

Seriously, though: congratulations to President-elect Obama. Right or wrong, and I hope for more of the former, obviously, he’s my President now, gal-darnit, and I’m not going to spend four years treating him with the contempt the Kos side heaped on Chimpy McPretzelchoker. He could turn out to be a horrible President. He could turn out to be a great one. History pushes people in unexpected directions.

I just hope this isn't a "Wil-e coyote finally catches the road-runner moment". In the cartoon, he finally catches the road runner turns to the camera and thinks, "Now what?".

All those clamoring for hope and change, "Now what?"

A friend of mine and I...

have been having an on going discussion about the MSM bias. We both agree that it does exist. What we do have differing opinions on is how the bottom line effects how they report the news. He thinks that money will trump all. When their bottom line is being decimated the big wigs will come around make some changes.

I don't agree.

The New York Times is selling this morning for $9.00. In 2002, it was selling for $50.00. GE who owns NBC and MSNBC is selling @ $21 down from nearly $60.

Newspaper circulation is one key measure of public reaction. The top 25 newspapers distributed nearly 18 million papers in 1998. Ten years later, they have lost nearly 4 million paid readers – a 22 percent decline.

Just last week, the Washington Post Co. reported “an 86 percent decline in third-quarter earnings,” and newspaper layoffs are now as common as pictures of Obama with a halo.

Gannett, the publisher of 85 dailies, including USA Today, and 900 other publications, is reportedly laying off 10 percent of its newspaper employees. That’s up to 3,000 workers. The Christian Science Monitor is killing its weekday print edition as of April. And Time Inc. CEO Ann Moore said that company is facing an advertising ‘depression.”

Are these the actions of an industry worried about their bottom line?

They could fix this debacle with one easy solution. Throw some objectivity into the mix.

A quick glance at the 2008 election coverage underscores the obvious disconnect between liberal journalists and their readers. Since journalists love polls, let’s look at some other results. “Voters overwhelmingly believe that the media wants Barack Obama to win the presidential election,” according to Pew. The survey found that by nearly 8-to-1, respondents thought the media had chosen Obama.

That was the common result. A Rasmussen Reports survey said by a 10-to-1 margin the public believe the media are trying to hurt Sarah Palin. Another Rasmussen poll said voters believe the media “are trying to help Barack Obama” – that by a 5-to-1 margin. A Fox News poll discovered six times as many voters think "most members of the media" want Obama to win.

The news media are uniformly behind the Obama candidacy. The latest newspaper endorsement tally by Editor & Publisher shows “Obama in a landslide,” netting 240 endorsements to McCain’s 114. All 57 alternative weeklies also are backing Obama.

E&P even tallies a tidal wave of support for Obama in college papers – 79 to just one for McCain. And that leaves out the almost constant stream of biased news coverage that preceded those endorsements.

So, the MSM can do one of two things. Start to print papers that people actually want to read or suck up to the next administration in hopes of getting a little of the next $700 billion bailout of industries affected so hard by the Bush economy.

Which way do you think they'll go?