I have attended two Democratic Conventions, the first in 1976 at Madison Square Garden in NYC when President Carter was nominated, the second in 1984 in San Francisco when Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro were nominated and lost to President Reagan and future President Bush.  I was inspired by President Carter in 1976 — why does no one invoke his name, he isn’t dead?  I was enthusiastic in 1984 with Mondale and especially Ferraro on the ticket even though I knew they would lose…  I was a boy when President Kennedy was elected and then shot and killed.  I remember the emotions around me during both events, unbridled joy at his election and palpable grief at his death. 

Now in 2008, having lived through Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton, and Bush 2, I am supporting Obama.  We need a President who inspires all of us, young and old, no matter the hue of our skin, no matter our religious beliefs.  We need a president who will awaken our best inclinations, a leader who inhabits the ability to excite and transform young voters;  it is the young who will guide us into our future.  You bet I’m a dreamer and I’m damn proud of it.  Dreams become realities.  Our country needs reality.

Our next President ought to be Barack Obama and I will do everything I can to turn that dream into reality.   

Rest in peace, Heath. 

Luke found out that his Gibson guitar, which he bought in the seventies, is in perfect shape.  The guitar guys he took it to couldn’t take their hands off it.  Now he’s playing again.  And it is music to my ears. 

I watched “Trip to Bountiful” yesterday on the movie channel.  Geraldine Page.  Whew…  She takes your breath away.  She is losing her breath in the movie and the audience has to breathe for her.  Geraldine’s character hums hymns and sings hymns throughout the movie.  The most prominent hymn is “Jesus is Calling.”  Something about that hymn makes me sob so hard I have to remember to breathe.  Horton Foote wrote the script.  Miss Page won the Oscar, her first, after eight nominations. 

“Softly and tenderly…

Today I discovered that since I upgraded my website software a few months ago, I must approach the “comments” to my blog in a different way.  The upgrade allows me to keep out the spam comments which I get hit with but it also means I must approve the non-spam comments before they are posted.  I’ll never keep out anyone who posts a disagreement to my views or hates or loves me but this upgrade does allow me to keep out the xxx comments from the xxx websites who want free advertising on my site, for instance, rent your sex toy here, embrace your desires with a few ropes and pulleys here, see the biggest, hottest photos of _____  (you fill in the blank here) — you get the picture.  

I spent an hour today going through all the comments.  “Whew,” is all I can say after reading the xxx ones.  In spite of my reaction to the xxx, I only uploaded the legit ones.  So, those of you who are not trying to sell your xxx on my site without me making any xxx money (a crucial distinction) have had your comments posted and I will keep up with your comments from now on.

The good news is:  It took two months to discover this “comments” blip because I’ve been working like crazy on my new novel.  Thanks to Luke, as always, for asking me the questions that led to the answers regarding my “comments” issue.  He understands my altered writing state and bless his heart for doing so.    

Hey, NY Times, you ignored your responsibility as a major player in creating the smear job you discuss in Looking at America (see below) and you chose the last day of the year to try and wipe off the smudge… 

Is it your opinion you have excelled in your job during the past seven years?  If you received insufficient answers to your questions and opposing views from your editorials, did you dig deeper, did you pursue?  And if so did you report what you discovered?  Or tuck the info away, say, for a reporter’s book, where a small chunk will be revealed, way too late and for a profit?  Is this the reporting of the future? 

The reason your newspaper is losing readers is because you are not doing your job.  It has nothing to do with the internet or television.  Right now, the public is firing you.  If you want us to hire you again, start doing your job.