President Obama

It has a nice ring to it. As the days pass after the presidential election, the gravity of the outcome has been slowly sinking in. Set aside the realization of ridding our great nation of a lame lame-duck president. It's the impact of having our first black president that has me still in awe. Mind you, when I went into that voting booth on Tuesday, I did not choose a black candidate; I chose a great candidate. Much in the same way I don't vote along party lines, I likewise do not vote along racial divides. And yet I don't wish to diminish the importance of America's first black president. It is truly historic. We are barely half a century removed from bathrooms and facilities for "colored", lynchings, and Jim Crow laws. And even today, something as seemingly innocuous as "skin-toned bandages" still carries a racial ignorance. However, these are injustices I will never fully know -- never fully comprehend -- because of the color of my own skin. So when a nation of predominantly white citizens speaks up and says, "I believe in this man," I can only imagine it propels us forward, as a nation, in the healing of our ugly racial scars. So it is now, with a president-elect Barack Obama, that I can once again hold my head high and say that I am proud to be an American.

Undecided?

This is a message to all those still-undecided voters out there: DECIDE! The only thing more annoying than the last few weeks of election news (see episode 38 of The Dave and Matt Show) is the fact that there are still quite a few people who haven't made up their minds as to whom they're voting for. What more do you need to know? We've been through four debates, SNL skits, endless news coverage, and a litany of unsolicited automated phone calls. By the way, if anyone who's in charge of those annoying phone calls is reading this, please stop calling my house. It's a week away, and I know who I'm voting for. I'm sure many of you have received these calls: "Hi, this is [INSERT CANDIDATE NAME]. I wanted to make sure you were aware of [INSERT CANDIDATE'S OPPONENT'S NAME]'s ads attacking my record on [INSERT RANDOM POLITICAL POLICY]. [HIS or HER] ads are just another example of political mudslinging in this time of financial crisis. I hope on November fourth, I can count on your support, so that we can make a difference in [INSERT STATE NAME]." I think I'd like to start a "Don't anyone ever call me for any reason whatsoever, unless you are on fire" registry. If you'd like to join me in supporting the DAECMFARWUYAOF Registry (www.DAECMFARWUYAOF.org), send me a comment, or go to the Web site. And please get all of your research in during this last week.

• http://www.johnmccain.com
• http://www.barackobama.com
• http://www.campaignforliberty.com
• http://www.factcheck.org
• http://crooksandliars.com
• http://www.nationalreview.com

"Better than a voter, is an informed voter." - M.S.