Coon Update? Are you serious?

I wasn't going to add anything else today, but I heard something during today's press conference from the White House that just rubbed me the wrong way.

Robert Gibbs is wrapping up for this week, and a reporter asked about the raccoons. Ok, I am not a fan of the creatures, and it was a strange enough question (but I don't follow day-to-day briefings, and I don't live in D.C., so, outsider am I) but what was stranger was what happened when CNN took the air again.

The reporter says, "And that's the coon update..."

"Coon update?" Really? Are the pun and the irony lost on them?

Ugh. Ugly words from the past. I am sure they didn't mean anything about it, but, oh, it hit me in the gut.

Ugh.

What is great about living in this time

As I was sitting with my boys and family during this week's inaguration activities, I realized what is great about being alive right now.

So many things have changed, even in the last ten years, that make life better, easier and happier. Children don't have to be remote controls, television is on 24 hours a day with more channels, the radio isn't the only thing you can listen to in the car, portable music is more discrete, pay phones are becoming obsolete (germ farms!), and color is fading.

Although I tend to be more conservative than liberal in my thinking and practice, I am happy for President Barack Obama and his team. I didn't have to vote for a black man in this election, I could vote for the person I thought was better for the job.

Now I don't agree 100% with him on everything--I don't agree with anyone that much--but I respect the way he conducted the transition and is beginning this term. I, too, like vigorous debate and refuse to inhabit the place of the 'yes' person, so, for me, engaging rivals is like daily living.

I am praying for his success and the restoration of some basic decency and transparency to American government.

What a great time to be alive!