WHO LETS THE CAT OUT -- MEOW, MEOW!

Yesterday I spent a glorious late autumn afternoon canvassing for Senator Obama, something I had not done since I worked for Senator Goldwater all those years ago. My partner and I were assigned an eight block square of streets right near where my wife, Kim, used to teach at Roosevelt School. About two thirds of the way through the rounds I knew I was physically in trouble with the artificial right knee but I was a man with a plan and I toughed it out for the entire canvassing!

I learned a few things. Carrying materials for both Kristin Dexter and Senator Obama, I would approach homeowners with the same opening statement: "Good afternoon -- I am Larry Heagle and I am canvassing for senator Orack Obama. May I give you some advertising materials for the candidates?

Replies varied from "Sure" to "I have way too much of this stuff already", "I have already voted" (which meant a vote for McCain) or "I have already voted for Obama". or "Larry Heagle?? Man! Have you ever gotten old!"

We skipped houses that had yard signs for either candidate.

One amusing moment: we started up a long drive way and a youngish woman, from behind an open screened window started yelling at us: "Don't be bringing any of that stuff up here! Yesterday you were here and let my cat out! So turn around and just get out of here. My cat is as house cat, not an outdoor cat and I'll tell you what -- I was going to vote for McCain but after you let my cat out with your Moulton stuff, I'm voting for Obama!"

My partner explained that we were canvassing for Senator Obama. I asked her if she got her cat back. She had.

My knee is still stiff and sore today, but this afternoon I will probably be down at HQ to see if I can assist in getting elderly to the polls.

MAKE CERTAIN YOU VOTE!

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This morning, Tom Brokaw was discussing the advent of using colors to represent political parties -- the brain child of NBC News some years ago. Originally, red represented Democrats and blue represented Republicans. Somewhere along the way it got switched.

I guess there has been much grumbling about being painted red as it is equated with Communism. Personally, I have never liked the idea of dividing the country with colors as it plays up divisiveness and animosity among the American electorate when the truth is, as Senator Obama has repeatedly made clear over these past months that we are not red states or blue states -- we are all AMERICANS. We need to start working together, compromising for the good of the nation. God knows that has not been the case with King George and the Neocons.

I humbly suggest that we do something else to indicate which political party is carrying which state. How about the obvious? A small cartoon of the symbols of the parties. Elephants and donkeys. That should please backers of the GOP as they think Democrats are asses anyway.

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All during the campaign I kept wondering when the GOP would trot out Senator Obama's "Pastor of Hate" from Chicago. Turns out, he is their last ace in the hole. And the ads are, of course, very misleading, saying that the Reverend Jeremiah Wright has been Orack's pastor for 20 years but that Obama did not distance himself from Wright until after he began his run for the presidency.

My opinion is that we have no evidence that Wright began spewing the hate for America until he knew the national spotlight was on him.

In my estimation he is no different than Joe the Plumber.

And one last thought. I wonder why we haven't heard from Osama Bin Laden this election year.

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