Obama Controversy

"In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say.

Millions of Americans who watched Mr. Obama's appearance on CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday witnessed the president-elect's unorthodox verbal tic, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences virtually every time he opened his mouth.

But Mr. Obama's decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last eight years many Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring.

According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota, some Americans might find it "alienating" to have a president who speaks English as if it were his first language.

"Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement," says Mr. Logsdon. "If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist."

The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete sentences in his speeches, the public may find itself saying, "Okay, subject, predicate, subject predicate -- we get it, stop showing off."

The president-elect's stubborn insistence on using complete sentences has already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest critics, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

"Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also," she said."

Andy Borowitz is a comedian and writer whose work appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and at his award-winning humor site, BorowitzReport.com.

I Heart Keith Olbermann!

I have been very disturbed by Prop 8 in California and the fact that it strips people of rights they already had as well as denies them the vry basic human right of creating a family unit. Keith Olbermann's Special Comment last night on MSNBC brought tears to my eyes. He put it all so simply.



It makes me cry to think that there are people in this nation whose are so filled with hate (or is it fear?) that they feel the need to keep people surpressed.

I Just Don't Understand

Today should be a very happy, joyous day in this country, but the ugliness of hate continues to rear its head. Barack Obama has been elected 44th President of the United States. His election brings such hope to a country where we have even been denying we are American. I now feel I can proudly hold my head high and admit I am American. There were no boos from the crowd when he mentioned McCain in his acceptance speech, unlike all the boos in McCain's concession speech. The smiles and tears running down the faces of the people in the crowd said it all. I was so moved by emotion and hope, something that I have not experienced in the last 8 years.

But, sadly, the hate spewed by McCain and Palin throughout the campaign continues to hurt. The brother of one of my oldest and dearest friends posted the following on my Facebook page:

"you should invest in a 55 gallon barrel of vaseline. . .enjoy your delusional state of mind, while you are able to. now you'll have another new kid to chase around the block. i'm sure youre right, as your messiah has arrived. good luck, but keep the barrel nearby."

This has bothered me all day. To me it's offensive and hateful and is a continuation of all the crap thrown around by Sarah Palin and John McCain. I just want to wash my hands. Needless to say, I've removed him as a friend on Facebook.

A New Day Has Begun!

Goodbye Joe the Plumber! Go home and pay your taxes.