George Who???

Let's see. It's been slightly over three weeks since the voters had the good sense to elect Barack Obama President of the United States. It is slightly less than two months before he actually takes office. Yet, he has done more good for the country than Junior did in the eight years he's been in office. In fact as Gail Collins, columnist in the New York Times says, W. might as well leave now. He remains totally ineffective, generally ignored, minimally damaging given what's he's already destroyed and completely out of touch with the needs of the country. Head back to Crawford, Junior. And for God's sake, don't forget to take Cheney with you.

National Crisis-No Not the Economy!

We have a national crisis. It's not the collapse of Wall Street, AIG, the auto industry, CitiBank, the recession or even the mess in Iraq and elsewhere. No, it's right here at home. The crisis is the current state of morning television. First, I don't watch TV for very long in the mornings but I do like to have it on while reading the paper or checking emails. Also, I like to know what's going on in the world that our lousy local paper isn't telling us. But instead of these things what do I get? A bunch of junk about Dancing With The Stars on Good Morning America and Rosy O'Donnel on Today. Yuk! The Morning Show on CBS isn't much better. What's one to do? A couple of years ago I could at least watch Imus on MSNBC but he's only on the radio now. Maybe that's what I should do. Just turn on the radio. I'll have to work on this more.

To Bail or Not to Bail

To Bail or Not to Bail. That is the question. Should the auto industry be rescued or should they follow the same route as any other mismanaged, poorly run business? Tough one. Millions of jobs. Bad times. The last great bastion of American manufacturing. What to do. What to do.

More About Kids

Yesterday was 'Grand Daughters Day' again. It's interesting to see how their interests evolve as they get older. For example the latest new, fun activity is cutting pictures of animals-adult and baby-from some old calendars and magazines I save for that purpose. For the most part it goes smoothly except for the times when they both want the same one. Then, it's necessary to strictly adhere to the rule: the first one to claim it, gets it. Then the other child gets the next pick. As in almost all other cases, once kids know the rules and they're fair, then it all works out. The key here is 'fair rules'. Kids have an uncanny knack for immediatley recognizing a 'fixed' or unfair game. The other interesting thing about this game is something the older grand daughter frequently asks: Is this animal 'mean'? Try explaining to an almost 5 year old that the concept of 'mean' only applies to people. There really aren't 'mean' animals. They are what they are. Well, of course, one doesn't start a discussion like this because what the child really wants to know is 'is the animal hostile, harmful, aggresive or scary looking.' For example yellow jackets, snakes and dinosaurs could be defined as mean according to the above. The last animal my grand daughter asked about was a lion. I just explained that they are indeed aggressive when hungry or threatened but aside from that they weren't any meaner than any other animal. She seemed to buy that for the moment.
Then there's the other meaning of 'mean' to a child. At some point in the day, I had to reprimand the 4 year old for something she was doing. She said she wasn't coming to the house any more because I was 'mean'. Kids say things like that all the time. Adults who take it too seriously or who let their feelings get hurt are making a big mistake because in a few minutes the child completely forgets it but some adults will obsess about it the rest of the day! I used to see it happen all the time with the parents of my students. Kids blurt out things when they're mad, that's all. And then they're over it. Done. There's a lot to be learned from kids. All we need to do is listen.

More on the Obama Presidency

The Steve Kroft 60 Minutes interview with the Obamas was very interesting. To hear him state that he takes his inspiration from Lincoln was not a surprise. I don't suppose he's going to be looking to Junior for much these days. The scuttlebutt on his cabinet picks is revealing as well-so long as one keeps in mind that it's just that-scuttlebutt. What does surprise me is his meeting with John McCain today. Rarely does one meet with the loser even if he is still a Senator. It's not like McCain is a Senate leader. After all, he even described himself as a maverick and one who often reached 'across the aisle'. Maybe he and Lieberman should just quietly ride off into the sunset-along with Junior and Cheney!

She Just Won't Go Away!

In a recent interview with Today's Matt Lauer, Sarah Palin attributed her's and McCain's loss to being outspent, smeared and the temper of the times ("tough to be a Republican these days"). How gracious of her! I wonder if it ever occurred to Ms Palin that she and Mac lost because the voters simply believed Barack Obama was the better choice. No, I suppose not.
To top it off, she goes on to assert that all those stories about conflict between her and the McCain camp, the clothing thing, accusations of being a diva, etc were all fabrications of the press. This woman is either a compulsive liar or the entire press corps, McCain's campaign workers, and personnel at several high-end NY department stores are! Gee, I wonder who's telling the truth here. Ya' done good, voters!!!

Bits & Pieces

Bits & Pieces
1. Well here it is, 3 days after the election and already they’re at it. After viewing several ‘Facebook’ comments, reading letters in local newspapers & hearing comments on conservative talk radio & TV I have unfortunately come to the conclusion that the lunatic fringe just won’t give it up. I’ve read and heard comments such as ‘being sickened by the results’, ‘God help America’, ‘we are now a socialist state’, ‘wisdom and experience over change’, etc. etc. The poor guy hasn’t even been inaugurated yet. Are we going to have to listen to these idiots for the next 4 (maybe even 8) years? The answer is no. I’ll read, watch & listen to something else. Simple.
2. Sooo…Joe Lieberman is on the hot seat-as well he should be. I say throw him off the committees he’s on. He’s of no use to anyone except the Republicans. Four more years and then ‘Adios, Joe!’
3. Remember the day when the private sector was always screaming about the wonders of the free market system, glorious capitalism, the evils of government regulation and interference?? So what happens??? The taxpayers bail out Wall Street and now guess who’s next in line-the auto industry-all looking for a hand out. Why should we? Let the market prevail. Right? By the way, Detroit, here’s a little tip: Build a car people want to buy. How’s that for ‘free market’ forces.
4. And now on a somewhat lighter note: It’s a sad day for those of us who value fine American craftsmanship. The company that made the finest wood-burning stove money could buy has declared bankruptcy. Vermont Castings was a small company in Rutland, VT, that hand made fine, attractive cast iron stoves. I’ve owned two. I still have one. It’s 22 years old and still going strong. After moving their operation to Canada for some reason they sold out to Consolidated Dutch West which I think still makes stoves but I’ve heard that the name Vermont Castings will be retired. Too bad.
5. Finally, the best news of all and news that makes all of the above trivial by comparison: my little grand daughter’s tonsil operation went well and she’s fine. All’s right with the world!

A New Age

Well, the American People have spoken-for good or ill. This country has reached a major milestone but President Elect Obama along with the Congress of the United States are inheriting a huge mess. Come January 21st, America will have put aside its idealism and will be expecting results. For the moment at least one important thing has been accomplished: we can look every other country in the world square in the eye and say we are indeed the land of opportunity where anyone regardless of race, color or creed can be President. That’s a powerful message.

Tuesdays With Shirley

Remember the book ‘Tuesdays With Morrie'? Well I have my own story-Tuesdays With Shirley. Shirley was an 87 year old lady who I worked with every Tuesday at Lockwood Lodge. During our year or so together Shirley was writing a series of autobiographical pieces. My job was to help her with basic computer/word processing skills. Very often, however, Shirley would stop and tell me she’s out of ideas so I’d start asking her questions and that would start things going again. As it happens Shirley’s life closely paralleled my mother’s. They both grew up in NYC; their parents were immigrants; they had lots of siblings; and they were poor. Shirley died last week but she left a significant body of work which I reformatted and printed for the family.
Shirley was great lady. She had a wonderful sense of humor, she was smart, liked people and for someone who had her life’s share of diversity, she never ever complained. In fact she considered herself to be very lucky. Shirley set a fine example for her children and grand children-and at least one volunteer. I'm sure she'll be missed by all her knew her.

My Official Endorsement

I thought it would be fitting that since this is my 100th blog, I would offer my official endorsement for President of the United States. I realize it's a little late and hundreds or even thousands of you have been anxiously awaiting this, so here it is: Barack Obama.

1) A fresh face. Cool, calculating and very smart. All this talk about 'socialism' is pure crap. He's going to be the president-not a dictator. If you're worried about too much government, worry about Congress-not the president. He can, however, do two important things:
Hand Iraq back to the Iraqi people; restore some sanity to the Supreme Court. That's enough for me.

2) These past few weeks have shown a side of John McCain that is very ugly. We don't want this guy in the oval office. I honestly believe he's a little unbalanced.

3) Do I need to say anything about Sarah Palin? She's the GOP's rendition of Joke of the Week! Go back to Alaska with your $150,000 wardrobe and shoot a moose (sorry, moose).

Two Things That Ticked Me Off Today!

1) Today started out very well until I got to McDonald's. The lady waiting on me spoke no English and had the nerve to get mad at ME for constantly asking her to repeat herself! You have no idea how long it took me to get across to her that I wanted Equal with my coffee. Sad situation.
2) On the Today show this morning there was a short clip of Liberal Democrat Barney Frank stating that he planned to introduce legislation that would limit how much money a person on Wall Street could make. I am absolutely not a conservative Republican but this guy is nuts. What right does the government have telling people how much they can make? None. He's the kind of Congressman that gives the Democratic Party its reputation.

A Moment of Silence If You Please

With this blog piece I call upon all Americans to bow their heads for a moment of silence. Why, you ask? Well as evidenced by this morning's appearance on Meet the Press, John McCain has completely lost whatever semblance of sanity he ever had. His appearance was marked by a complete loss of contact with reality-the very definition of insanity. Certainly there are other examples. One would be his decision to take the so-called straight talk express and run it into the gutter where he commenced to spend the rest of his campaign slinging mud & embracing the tactics of Karl Rove-the man who brought us Junior. Another example and the defining moment of course was his nomination of air-head Palin whereby he attempted to convince us that should he be elected President and subsequently croak, the next most qualified person in the Republican Party to be the President of the United States was her! That alone should have been enough to clinch it. Yes, my friends (to borrow a badly overused phrase), tis a sad day, indeed.

More Must Reading

Check it out. Do we want to run the risk of this person possibly being in the Oval Office some day??
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/25/mccain-aide-palin-going-rogue/

Who's Better At Math?

I just finished reading an article by the science editor of Newsweek magazine. She was responding to a statement she overheard a teacher make at some sort of gathering. It was this teacher’s view that a boy’s brain is ‘hard wired’ to be better at math than a girl’s. The author of the article strenuously disagreed and went on to cite a great deal of research that completely repudiates the view. It’s true that by middle school and later, boys tend to score better on a variety of mathematics achievement tests but the reason why is not because of ‘genetic’ issues.
As a retired teacher, both general classroom and specifically math, I can state without reservation that there is absolutely no physiological/neurological reason why a female should not be every bit as good at math as males. One important reason why they often are not is because of a phenomena called teacher expectation-like the one that science editor overheard! If a teacher expects a student to be unsuccessful, he/she will. If a teacher expects a student to be poorly behaved, he/she will. If a teacher expects that a whole group of students-be they female, black or blonde-are going to be ‘slow’ at something, they will. Teachers with these kinds of predisposed expectations unwittingly engineer the outcome so it fits their already engrained expectations!! It’s the Catch 22 of education. I’ve heard it stated over and over again in faculty rooms and at meetings. Having a daughter who could have been a mathematician had she chosen to was enough to get me fuming-usually resulting in a spirited discussion. That’s why I was so well liked!!! So if you ever hear someone say something that reveals unreasonable expectations or stereotypes, politely point out there is no basis in fact to it. And if they persist, ask to see the research. That usually puts an end to it plus you'll end up being as popular as me!!!

Wait For It

Wait for it. The reaction, that is, from the lunatic fringe to Colin Powell's recent endorsement of Barack Obama. How long will it take for the email forwards to start making their rounds to everyone's computer denouncing Powell, calling him every name in the book and linking him to every evil under the sun? After all, that is the strategy of the far right nut jobs, isn't it? Look what's making the rounds about Obama these days. Wait for it.

Sanity vs. Madness-You Decide!

Sooo…..what does one make of the third and final debate? First, no doubt about it, McCain was spoiling for a fight. This was his last chance to convince people he’s the right guy. But Obama countered with points of his own. He answered every one of McCain’s charges and continued to connect McCain with the failure of the last 8 years-in spite of McCain’s clever little comment about running against Junior 4 years ago. The real winner of course was “Joe the Plumber”. In interviews with him after the fact he seemed to express the same set of concerns as most other people. Whether or not Obama convinced him is another matter. But in spite of all the talk and all the words and accusations, here’s the thing that left me with the strongest impression: body language. Obama was cool, calm and relaxed. But did you see the look on McCain’s face and in his eyes as Obama was speaking? Very revealing. He looked like a mad man. Although a tad insensitive, he sometimes looked like he was being tortured again. Seriously. Wide open eyes, contorted facial expressions, mouth all twisted and ugly. The guy’s a nut job-no question about it. Do we want his hand that close to ‘the button’? I think not. I’ll take my chances with the lib-er-al!

My Reply

Hi Barack,
Sorry I missed your call last night. I was a little tired so I went to bed early. I know you're anxious about tomorrow's final debate with McCain so here, as promised, are some pointers. I hope you don't mind me posting them on my blogspot but I don't think McCain will see them. He doesn't seem to be reading my blog that often. OK, here goes.

First, get specific without being pedantic (look it up). All people want is a simple straight forward answer to the question. Stop being so theoretical. Remember: KISS, Keep it simple, stupid, is still the best advice there is.

Second, continue to tie McCain's policies to Bush/Cheney. Ironically, at this point they're your best allies!

Third, if McCain refers to you as 'that one' again, call him on it. Look at him and say, "Excuse me, my name is Senator Barack Obama." Demand respect.

Fourth, avoid mud throwing but don't be afraid to remind people briefly of the McCain/Palin tactics. Their recent strategy didn't go over well with people so help them keep it in their minds.

Fifth, be sure to be firm about your commitment to fight terrorism. This is the one area where people still feel uneasy about you. You need to be a little tougher on this point.

Finally, disassociate yourself from the lunatic fringe of people who claim to be your supporters but are really hurting you with their inflammatory remarks.

Follow these pointers and you'll be fine. Good luck!

ABSOLUTELY MUST READING

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

More Hypocrisy. Ya' gotta love it!

News Flash
           Connecticut Supreme Court Strikes Down Same Sex Marriage Ban
Among other legal points the court’s argument is that the illegal concept of  ‘separate but equal’ extends beyond education. It is illegal everywhere.
To me this whole thing isn’t particularly noteworthy.  To be completely honest I couldn’t care less if a person married his/her goat much less someone of their sex.  I just ask that I be left alone.  What is interesting though is to listen to the lunatic fringe conservative groups who are speaking out against the ruling.  They claim the CT Supreme Court completely failed to take into account the views (according to them) of the majority of people.  They have a problem that the case was decided on constitutional grounds alone.
What unbelievable idiots!!  They are the same people who scream that the Constitution is being corrupted by ‘lib-er-al’ courts but when the court does follow the constitution, they scream that it’s not fair.  They honestly don’t see the contradiction or hypocrisy of their views.  These are very dangerous people.  They need to be avoided at all costs. The press needs to stop giving them the audience they seek.  The inevitability of human evolution will eventually render these morons extinct leaving people like me to carry on the species but until then, take cover!

The Mark of Desperation

A candidate's desperation is directly proportional to the amount of mud he/she slings. Given the past couple of weeks, it is clear that John McCain is a truly desperate man. Not only does he have Sarah Plain and Tall running off at the mouth he's recently dragged his wife into it! The heck of it is, this tactic is going to backfire on him. Most voters are repulsed by such tactics and they are quite capable of seeing right through them. Three more weeks. Can't wait!

White Privilege

This is Your Nation on White Privilege
By Tim Wise
9/ 13/08

For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-under stand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and every one is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin' redneck," like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don't all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you're "untested."

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me," and not be immediately disqualified from holding office – since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the "under God" part wasn't added until the 1950s – while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.

White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she's being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do – like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8- hour workday, or an end to child labor – and people think you're being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college – you're somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don't even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look."

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn't support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize Georg e W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government , and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God's punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and every one can still think you're just a good church-going Christian, but if you're black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you're an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question," while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O'Reilly means you're dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a "light" burden.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with Georg e W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren't sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it's just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

The Great Debate

Soooo.....what does one make of the Great Debate? Not much, unfortunately. I was really looking forward to either Biden or Palen talking themselves into the world of idiocy-but they didn't. Joe was on his best behavior, kept his answers fairly short and stuck to attacking McCain's tired old politics. On the other side, Sarah didn't come off looking like a total airhead although her effort to look like 'the rest of us' got a little old, stuck to the answers McCains' guys fed her and even managed to look like she had a clue as to what she was talking about.
All in all, Sarah probably came out with the most to gain because everyone was looking for her to screw up so all she had to do was stick to the script.
The bottom line about these debates is they don't really change any minds nor will they sway the undecided voter simply because I don't think there's anywhere near as many undecided voters as pollsters think. Hold the election tomorrow!

What A Pathetic Group

Back to the drawing board. What are those Congressmen thinking to vote against one of the most important bills in this nation's history? Do they not understand basic economics? Are they not aware that there are times when you have to compromise your principles to do the right thing? Were they that insulted by Nancy Pelosi's ill-advised comments about the Republicans? Would it have hurt Nancy to keep her mouth shut for a change? What a pathetic group! And so much for McCain's party leadership skills! As for Bush, he's done. He just doesn't have enough brains to quietly leave town.

Where Is Today's Leadership?

I just finished watching the 7 part HBO series 'John Adams'. There was a lot to be learned in this series but without question the most obvious thing is that when viewing today's political landscape, there is a sad lack of leadership approaching the caliber of Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton and so many more of that time. While Bush & Cheney are busy attempting to undo what the men above accomplished, it's also true that Obama and McCain fall short. Depressing.

Joke of The Day

It is Sarah Palin's view that because she can see a chunk of ice in Siberia from her breakfast nook, she is eminently qualified in the matter of foreign affairs. Now that you've picked yourself up from your fit of hysterical laughter, consider the sobering fact that she actually believes this!!! End of joke.

It's A Bird! It's A Plane! NO, it's Super McCain!!!

So.....what does one make of John McCain suspending his campaign, canceling the debate, jumping on his white stallion and riding into Washington at the eleventh hour to save the day!!!????
I thought so. Me too.

Seven Hundred Billion Dollars

There are a lot of things I don't get these days and one of them is what's going to actually happen to the $700 billion the Treasury Secretary wants for a bailout. Here are a few of my questions:
Where's the money going?
Who's actually getting it?
Are the people who defaulted on the loans that created the mess to begin with getting any of it? If so, who are they and why are they getting it? In fact is the assumption that the mess was created by bad loans correct? If not, what did do it?
What will happen if Congress says 'NO'? A free market is just that, free. Let the chips fall where they may.
Just a few questions. I'll let you know what I find out.

More Great Lies

You've heard of the 3 great lies, right?
The check's in the mail.
Of course I'll respect you in the morning.
I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

Well hospitals have a 'great lies' version all their own. Read on:
This might pinch a little.
This might be a little uncomfortable.
The doctor will be right in to see you.
Just push this button and someone will be right in.
Hi, I'm Suzie. I'm a first year nursing student but I've done this dozens of times.
And finally the best one of all: I'll be right back.

Let's Clear Things Up

In case you're a little confused.....
* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."

* If you grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, you're a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack, you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

* If you name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* If you graduate from Harvard law School, you are unstable.

* If you attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system, while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, things should be much clearer now. . . .

Message to Joe Biden

Hi Joe,
It was nice talking to you yesterday & I'm happy to hear you're looking forward to your October 2nd debate with Sarah Palin. Here's the advice you asked for:
First-be polite and respectful. She's earned that much.
Second-don't talk down to her or be patronizing. That will backfire on you quickly.
Third-don't be afraid of her. At the GOP convention she came out with both barrels blazing. Now let's see if she can take it as well as she dishes it out.
Fourth-hold her accountable. Point out her obvious ignorance on many issues and point out her flip-flops.
Fifth-while doing all of the above, keep it simple & to the point. You have a tendency to 'bird walk'-to say the least. Curb your enthusiasm!

Good luck. I'll be watching.
Sincerely,
Your friend George