Saturday Night Live

I am someone who thought SNL crossed the line last Saturday. Their depiction of David Paterson was not a spoof of the governor. It was a poor attempt at humor at the expense of all those that are visually impaired.

Here are Sunny with her pups John, Paul, George, Ringo and Penny Lane. These dogs were rescued because the family could not keep them. Dog rescue has never been busier with puppy mills closing, home foreclosures and the economy the way it is.
This holiday season a movie depicting the antics of a Labrador retriever will debut. It is the holiday wish of those who rescue that people will not base a dog decision on a movie about labs. Please encourage friends and family to carefully consider the acquisition of a dog. If the decision is made to adopt, please consider rescue.

A letter to President Bush

Dear Mr. President,
Where are you? Years ago I remember you standing on a pile of rubble in New York with a bullhorn. Many Americans took faith in that moment. Now, now that the economy is in a tailspin, one in ten homeowners are in foreclosure or late with payments, now that so many Americans have lost their jobs; where are you? Oh - Yes, I do see you pardoning turkeys, giving tours of the white house Christmas trees but that's not what I mean. I mean talking to the country everyday. Telling us what you are doing, who you're talking to, how you are working with congress to resolve important issues. From my view point it appears as though we have no president. We're caught in a gray area where Barak is not offical and you don't give a damn. Just today you happened to mention that we are in a recession. My question to that is where have you been? You truly are out of touch. You have about 46 days left. Will you use them or waste them at the coutry's expense?

Slime

Slime, that's right. I had slime in my rear tire tube. I admit it! In the interest of spending less time repairing flats and more time riding I tried using a tube that is supposed to seal small punctures with a green slime that resides inside the tube. Guess what? It failed me and left me stranded. Oh sure, I tried to a repair the tube that should need not repair. No dice. My backup new tube was damaged during installation. So, with the glue running out, the sun setting and the temps dropping it was my cell phone that turned out to be the ultimate repair tool.
The good news. After examining the tube and e-mailing the kind folks that spend their days putting slime in those tubes they have informed me that my tube was defective and that they would mail me out a new one. New slime! Oh Joy! Slime don't fail me now.

"A presidency of stupefying ineptitude"

So wrote Joe Klein of TIME. I have to agree. Klein mentions two moments. One after having landed on the carrier under the sign "Mission Accomplished." The other, a picture of Bush looking out the window of air force one at the devastation of what was Now Orleans three days after the hurricane.
Obama told us early on there is only one president. Since then he has come before the cameras frequently with assignments, to answer questions and to reassure the American people that help is on the way. The hunger for these appearances indicates to me that we've already given up on the current president.
What a mess president Bush leaves Obama. Two wars going on for virtually all of Bush's 8 years. A huge Deficit, and now the world's economy in a tail spin.
When Bush took office he surrounded himself with yes men and though most of those men have left him or are in jail, this is the result.
Maybe America needs to consider that the presidential candidate of their preferred party may not always be the best selection.

The Environment

I am so happy to hear Barack talk about his intentions to working on the environment. When President Bush took office I told Dort he would set us back 4 maybe 8 years in working toward a better environment. Sadly, he proved me right. We've lost valuable time and now we are forced to work with even more urgency. I know that it will not be until January that Barack takes office but I find myself now more than ever wishing President Bush would get out of the way so that we can start making positive changes and get back on track.
If you haven't already, swing over to http://change.gov/ to glimpse the change that we are so longing for.

The big 3

Now I hear that the big 3 are in Washington with hat in hand looking for a hand out. I have very little sympathy for them. Forget about all the Suvs and zero interest in mileage. It's been years that manufacturers like Toyota and Honda have been eating GM's lunch when it came to quality. Remember when the Ford Explorer had problems with tires? How long did they play the blame game? Does that inspire confidence? Do you think Ford is going to stand by you when you have a problem?
If we bail out (reward) ineptitude when will it end? I have no assurances that Ford will do any better with a bailout.
Every company has it's time in the sun. Just ask AT&T. I think the sun is setting on the big three.

Barack Obama

It was the sounds of cheering crowds on the tv last night that awoke me to the realization that a new day was dawning. Finally, I realized that the long dark days of the previous administration soon will be over. Gone will be the bunker  mentality,  torture, Guantanamo , wire tapping, mission accomplished theatrics and divisive politics. Finally we can go about working with the world's inhabitants to clean up the environment, to open channels of communication to the nations of the world. Thankfully we picked a candidate that would talk to Iran rather than sing songs about bombing them. Thankfully Barack does not need a supreme court or a hanging chad to determine his destiny. The vote was overwhelming. It restores my faith in the election process. I don't envy Barack the mess that will be delivered on January 20th. He will need to hit the ground running. If his choice in election team, and  VP is any indication, he will hit the ground running with a team that will be focused and productive.

The Phillies

Well, what a drought Philadelphia has had. No champion teams in years. Over 25 years since the phillies won a world series. Today, in Philadelphia, we saw the results of all that pent up energy. With the parade winding it's way through Philadelphia, the streets were lined with millions of fans. From 20th and Market to the Ball field they lined up 10, 20 deep to participate in the festivities. Septa our local public transit has been overwhelmed with riders. Dorothy, unable to get near 2 of the main train stations "fell back" to her office resigned to the possibility that she may not be home for hours. Sorely disappointed that she can not participate in the Halloween candy giveaway.

Health care

It troubles me to hear that families are having to declare bankruptcy due to medical bills. One illness is all it takes. The candidates are all talking about health care. I'm glad. I think that most people in this country are concerned about this issue. The one thing that concerns me is the choices people make that will adversely effect their health. Smoking and obesity come to mind. Can we as a nation foster incentives so that all people strive for better health through moderate diets and abstaining from health "detractors" like smoking? I would like to see this a part of a new health care plan for the nation.

Mocha

Well, it looked like I was going to provide an overnight spot for a puppy on her way to a new home. These things happen at the last minute and sure to form I got the "call" ( e-mail.) It was a request to see if I could provide overnight accommodations for a westward bound lab. I was selected because I don't have any dogs. Mocha's medical history is unknown so it was decided to keep her away from dogs until she made a trip to the vet. Now I'm told it's off. The owners say they may have found a home for Mocha.
Maybe next time......

Joe the plumber...

I admire Joe for going to the "source" for the answer to his question. I don't admire senator McCain for using this guy to further his chances of winning. Now, thanks to Senator McCain, Joe is at the center of media attention, all his personal records and data probed, and having to face news cameras all for wanting to be an informed elector. If I were Joe I would really be upset with Senator McCain.

Social Security

Not too long ago in the course of one day the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 777 points. It was on that day that I remembered how our current President had tried so hard to privatize social security. I am so glad that he failed.

Riding

It was a bit cool out this morning but I felt the need to go for a ride. Fall is a great time to ride. Crunching through leaves and seeing the sights. Today was a "good day." Feeling strong and finding new roads.

The Election

As the election approaches and the polls put Barack in the lead I have concerns. I'm concerned that there may be voters interested in voting for Barack who feel that they don't need to as a result of the poll numbers. My other concern is the election process itself. The 2000 and 2004 elections shook my faith in a credible process. It's my hope that this year there will be little controversy and that the canidiate with the most votes wins.

Vice Presidential selection

The other night during the debate a question was asked about the selection of the vice president. It occurred to me that besides all the experience that Joe brings to the office, there was something else that was involved in the decision. Joe was actively looking to be president. The fact that Joe already wanted to be president makes him all the more qualified in my mind. I imagine that being president was not foremost in Sarah's mind when she got the call.

Walking

Through Peace Valley Park. Some of the trees are turning color. Circuit of the lake - 2 hours

Riding...

Today I rode with the bike club. I rode to the start ( 5 miles.) We headed off to the Kulpsville area. Once we were out about half way the leader of the ride had a flat tire. After her inner tube had been replaced two times and burst two times we realized that the side wall of her tire was cut. A makeshift repair was done and she headed back to the start the shortest way she could with another rider. The rest of us continued on our way and returned safely. We all met at a pub in Ambler and carbo loaded before finishing the last two miles. Total for me 42 miles.

Debates

After hearing the most recent debate. I am wondering one ( of many) things. Both candidates say that they wrote letters to the proper officials warning of the economic crisis we are currently experiencing. Perhaps we need more effective letter writers as candidates. It seems to me that if either one of their letters had been heeded, we would be in a lot better shape today.