Guns and butter. Actually, just guns.

I have lived alone in many different places and never have I felt like I needed a firearm in order to sleep peacefully at night. Admittedly, I’ve never been mugged or attacked or had anyone break in to my home so that may be why I feel “safe” most of the time.

I have shot several types of guns before — a Winchester, a Remington (I had to shoot the rifles/shotguns from the hip cause I couldn’t position them correctly on my shoulder), a .357 Magnum, a .22 and some other handguns and weaponry (part of my neophyte reporter training). I’ll admit there was some power in handling the weapons, but beyond that I’ve just never felt like I needed to OWN a gun for sport or to protect myself.

Do any of you own guns and do you feel you need them for protection? What do you think about the district’s gun ban fight?

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Lead, follow or get yo’ ass out the way

That’s what I heard our president say in this speech.

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D.C. Voting Rights

Are we getting a smidge closer?

For once, a roomful of members of Congress managed to debate the shame of this democracy with only one cavalierly telling half a million people that if they really want voting rights, all they need do is move.

Read the rest of Marc Fisher’s column.

If you read this blog, don’t live in this city, but are a U.S. citizen, please write to your member of Congress urging them to take action on this issue. Thanks.

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I love that little Sasha Obama

Maybe it’s because she’s the baby and she’s still young enough to show all her excitement and exuberance without being embarrassed, I don’t know, but something about her always makes me smile when I see her in a photo.

I was reading a post on another blog about how the first family might help kill some of the stereotypes of the broken black family, the deadbeat dad, the single mom with multiple children etc. and some people were angry that it would even be suggested that the images of Barack and Michelle showing intimacy and love would have any impact on how people see the black family.

There are a lot of cup half empty mofos, I tell ya.

Every time I see them show affection for each other, be it the fist bump, the wedding photo on the bench, the handholding in the parade, the lean in kiss in the elevator, I think, damn, they love each other. Maybe it’s because the Bushes were older and less expressive (though I believe that George really loves Laura). Maybe it’s because Hillary always seemed pissed off with Bill and there wasn’t a lot of chemistry between them. But, isn’t it nice to see a little regular folk love for a change?

And maybe tangentially it will have some affect on the marriage rate in America.

Or, maybe it won’t.

I still like it though. Do you?

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Congratulations President Obama!

Best of luck to you and your family for the next four years.

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A day late and a dollar short

Months and months ago my mother decided Obama was her candidate and she started volunteering for his campaign. She also asked me to try and get inauguration tickets for her and my grandmother. I told her that she needed to contact her own member of Congress, but that I would reach out to the one or two contacts I have on Capitol Hill and see what I could do. Thankfully my Hill contacts are part of the Illinois delegation and turned me on to some good information.

Anyway, she started making arrangements back then because she was confident her candidate would win the election. So for months now she’s been on inauguration ticket lists, she’s had tickets to an inauguration ball, she’s had transportation to D.C. arranged and paid for, and she got her friends on the bandwagon so they are set, too. Other than waiting to find out if they will get inauguration tickets, they are good to go and have been since July. She did all this even though I warned her there was a chance Obama might not win, to which she said “yes he will win” (LOL!) but the experience was worth it even if he didn’t win.

Her advance planning helped Mr. SingLikeSassy understand me a little better. I hate waiting until the last minute to do anything and he’s very much a one day at a time person. So that’s how we divvy up. He takes care of the immediate, I focus on the longterm.

But it’s amazing to me all of the people who have called me over the last couple of days asking if they can stay in my house and can I help them get inauguration tickets. Um, the inauguration was always going to happen whether or not Obama won and NOW you’re thinking about it, when the whole rest of the world is thinking about it? Some members of Congress aren’t even taking inauguration ticket requests any more and it’s not even a week after the election. At the very least people should have gotten on those lists early.

And staying in my house? Why any of these people who KNOW me and my mama would even think there was room left in my house is beyond me. So I hope they get here and find a bed and are able to attend the inauguration, but let this be a lesson people: advance planning is your friend!

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Shirley Chisholm kicked the door open…

Since we’re celebrating “firsts” for black folk, today is the 40th anniversary of Shirley Chisholm’s historic congressional win.

Chisholm was the first black woman to hold a seat in Congress and, since she was a bad azz chick, she went on ‘head and launched a campaign for president in 1972.

Now, she didn’t win, but she believed she could run, she believed she could be president of the United States, so she campaigned for the gig. Same with Obama. There were naysayers who told him it was too soon, the time wasn’t right and he wasn’t seasoned or experienced enough, but he trusted his instincts (and advisers) and stepped out on faith. And that’s what’s up, cause my daddy told me 90 percent of succeeding is BELIEVING.

So let Shirley, Obama and all the other trailblazers be a lesson to all the young people out there who “can’t”:

Yes, you can!

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Looks like we have a new POTUS

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Scenes from our polling place

We got there about 6:15 a.m. and a line had already formed.

In the next 30 minutes the line grew. I liked that a gentleman in line took it upon himself to find a seat for this elderly gentleman with a cane.

Doors opened promptly at 7 a.m. though once we got inside they were still getting things ready.

Mr. SingLikeSassy (he’s a leftie) votes using a paper ballot because the computer wasn’t working.

I followed his example.

Mr. SingLikeSassy watches the machine suck in his paper ballot.

People, this was really fun. The other voters in line took photos of us and let me take photos of them and everyone was friendly and chatty. I’m excited and I hope you are, too. Please, PLEASE go to the polls today and vote.

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Why I vote and why you should, too

As I’ve said before, my parents grew up down South during the Jim Crow era. Our family was active in the civil rights movement and in the late 1950s one relative lost their job, had their house burned down, received death threats and had to take their family and flee their home state where they were unable to return for the rest of their life. I was taught from a very young age that voting is not something to take lightly.

In 1976 my father took me with him to our polling place. I went into the booth with him and he held me up and showed me what levers to pull. I remember sounding out the name “C-a-r-t-e-r” (sidebar: I started reading at age 3 and was so advanced by the time I got to school, I was able to skip a grade, so I was in the second grade when my dad took me into this booth) and feeling so proud of myself.

My mother has regularly volunteered for local politicians, but this year she kicked it up a notch and volunteered for the Obama campaign. First she was registering people to vote and lately she’s been driving little old ladies — including my 87-year-old Grandma — to the polls for early voting.

My husband has financially supported his candidate and for weeks we have planned to get up at dark o’clock on Election Day to go line up in the cold so we can vote together for the first time. We’re headed out now and I’m taking the camera and will post some photos later.

You can do what you like today, it’s your choice, obviously. But I’m hoping you’ve registered to vote and that you’ll join me, Mr. SingLikeSassy and millions of other people at the polls and let your voice be heard.

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