"I have been but little in," said Ninian hastily...

Thank you.

Thank you, all you people who came out and stood in long lines. And all you wonderful people who worked long hours in the polling places.

Thank you, people who weren't sure you would count, but who didn't want to pass up the opportunity to be heard.

Thank you, all you people who thought, and wrote, and argued, but still listened to each other.

Thank you, people in 'Red' states, who didn't accept that you couldn't make a difference.

Thank you, people of New England who stood up first of all for our new president and showed your traditional combination of idealism and granite-hard commonsense. You make me proud of my Yankee roots (or 'ruts', as they say it there).

Thank you, people of Virginia, who showed that being the oldest home of English-speaking democracy in the New World doesn't mean you have to stick with old ways.

Thank you, all those who worked hard for the Obama campaign, even when things didn't look so good.

Thank you, Clintons, for playing a straight bat, however grudingly, and working to get your party's nominee elected.

Thank you, John McCain, for giving a decent, honest concession speech that, at the last, reminded me why for years I thought you were a decent and worthy man I just disagreed with. Maybe now you can go back to being that man again. Your country needs you to.

And thank you, thank you, thank you, President-elect Barack Obama, for giving me hope that the United States might, just for a little while, raise high the banner of its dreams instead of trampling them in the race for wealth and power.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and listen to Barack, and cry. And for once, this year, it will be tears of joy.

But I find it impossible to have even minimal respect for some peoples' opinions.

The nice men digging up the street were considerate enough to wait until 7 am before using the backhoe-mounted jackhammer *RIGHT OUTSIDE MY WINDOW* (literally, they are in the street right under my bedroom window).

In other news, wcg is full of win for posting this photo of an election yardsign. Thank you, sir! :-)

NPR's Morning Edition did a great story this morning, lining up the truth against the lies, half-truths, and evasions already coming out of VP-nominee Palin's mouth. Particularly damning was audio of her addressing an Alaskan business group in which she applauds the state's congressional delegation for all the earmarks they are bringing to Alaska, with a special shout out for Don Young. So much for reform! Also documented are her efforts to bring millions of federal dollars to the small town of which she was mayor ($27 million for a town of about 5,000 residents, *twenty* times the national average of federal spending). They also point out that while Palin supported the Gravina Island Bridge, she made a public announcement canceling the bridge once it became a national laughingstock...but did NOT return the federal funds that Alaska had received for it, and continued work on preparations for the bridge (such as an approach road).

This woman is not only a liar, she's a barefaced and STUPID liar (why lies about things in the public record?) Only time will tell whether voters will listen more to her lies than to the truth. Any politician who sets herself up as an opponent of the free press, who uses her office to pursue personal vendettas, who says one thing and does the opposite, who defies the legal investigations of the legislature into her misdoings...well, she fits right in in the Republican Party.

I was thinking that the Obama campaign probably didn't need any more help at this point. Not a chance. I'm going to see how much we can afford to send them, and investigate whether I can volunteer to do campaign stuff without getting into trouble at work.

EDIT: A friend of a friend had the trenchant observation that Palin is rather reminiscent of Dolores Umbridge. In looks, no; in manner and general effect, absolutely spot on, IMO.

Also ganked from friends:

Palin says Iraq war a 'task from God'.

Palin tried to force the state of Alaska to pay people to shoot wolves from helicopters

Palin cut funding for programs to support unwed mothers

a whole host of other heinous policy stands

Rev. Karl on her ties to Dominionist plans (an "agenda"? :-) to turn the US into a Christian Right theocracy.

or just go direct to this article on Daily Kos

snolan links to these critiques of Palin's looseness with the truth

CBS news fact-checking Palin's speech
SameFact fact-check

The hits just keep on coming...