Dawn of a New Era

Well, 55 million people woke up this morning a little disappointed to find that Barack HUSSEIN (their emphasis, not mine) Obama was elected president. Some people believe that Obama's election will spell the hastening of the Apocalypse or the morphing of our democratic republic into a grey, drab, socialist nightmare. I think it will probably mean lots of spending, higher taxes, and bitter, long winded diatribes on conservative talk radio and not much more. I wasn't an Obama supporter, but I do think that it's a big deal that an African American was elected to the nation's highest office.

Meanwhile, in California, Proposition 8 passed by a sizeable margin. A small minority of people will claim this is legalized bigotry. I disagree. 99% of the supporters of Proposition 8 didn't want gay marriage banned out of a hate for homosexuals, but out of a strong belief in the sanctity of marriage and its importance in building a strong society. And at the risk of offending people, I think this issue also showed the true colors of a lot of members of the Church. It's beyond me how one could sustain the Church yet think it's wrong on an issue on which there is absolutely no wiggle room. Personal associations have nothing to do with it. Having a child or sibling who lives that lifestyle doesn't justify defying not only your leaders, but what you know is right.

But enough of politics! Many of our readers prefer not to read about stuff that isn't trite and cutesy. I'm in New Orleans today for a hearing. I took some time to go to the French Quarter to see the sights. I happened upon a movie crew filming an upcoming movie called "Welcome to Riley's," starring James Gandolfini. I was within spitting distance of the star. The scene I witnessed saw Gandolfini running down a city block as if he were chasing someone. They did several takes. He looked winded. Robyn is in Las Vegas enjoying a week off with Mandy. Hopefully she'll give a full report when she returns this weekend.