Happy New Year!

I couldn't think of a better way to close out 2008 than spending a week at my plantation in Costa Rica, La Alegría.

It was, I thought, a great way to celebrate the end of George W. Bush' reign of terror. Being out of the country for any portion of this month, though, when Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, was never an option.

We flew into Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose Christmas Eve morning and left there yesterday afternoon.

There was nothing I wanted to do more than relax and enjoy the fruit of my gardener's labor, a hydroponically grown hybrid we call K60 Bud.

What I enjoy most about La Alegría is, The Sanctuary....


It was here, on this balcony, where each day I read the outermost HOUSE - A Year Of Life On The Great Beach Of Cape Cod by Henry Beston.

This book is a literary masterpiece. That, I think, is reflected by these excerpts...

>>> A year indoors is a journey along a paper calendar; a year in outer nature is the accomplishment of a tremendous ritual. To share in it, one must have a knowledge of the pilgrimages of the sun, and something of that natural sense of him and feeling for him which made even the most primitive people mark the summer lights of his advance and the last December ebb of his decline." (page 59)

>>> "The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of outer ocean on a beach. I have heard them all, and of the three elemental voices, that of the ocean is the most awesome, beautiful, and varied." (page 43)

>>> "It is not easy to live alone, for man is a gregarious creature; especially in his youth, powerful instincts offer battle to such a way of life, and in utter solitude odd things may happen to the mind." (pages 93-94)

>>> "Dwelling thus upon the dunes, I lived in the midst of an abundance of natural life which manifested itself every hour of the day, and from being thus surrounded, thus enclosed within a great whirl of what one may call the life force." (page 94)

>>> "Study your birds on the ground as you will, but once you have thus observed them and studied their loveliness, do not be afraid to clap your hands and send them off into the air. They will take no real alarm and will soon forgive you. Watch birds flying." (page 98)

Downstairs I have a sitting room commonly known as The Fortress of Solitude. Looking out the window, or down from The The Sanctuary, you see a portion of the garden....


We live, undoubtedly, in interesting times. I wish for you much joy, good health and prosperity in 2009.

As much as anything I'm looking forward to President-elect Obama's inauguration, That comes 19 days from today.

Cheers!

A Long Weekend That Turned Into A Week, Thanks To The McCain/Palin Ticket

Photograph by Kilroy_60

Republicans whined and bitched throughout the general election campaign because Barack Obama's prolific fund raising effort, which I was happy to support as much as the law allows,
positioned him to run what amounted to a 50-state campaign.

McCain's fund raising on the other hand was meager and some of his delusional supporters point to that as the reason he was trounced. Interestingly, they don't mention that the campaign essentially imploded as election day neared.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

What made it all more interesting for me, as a gambler, was that there was no problem finding supporters of the GOP who wouldn't contribute to the McCain/Palin ticket, but didn't hesitate to bet that Obama would lose. I suspect some of them contributed to the national party's smear campaign.

Needless to say, the election worked out quite well for me. In fact, since election day my tally sheet improved when President-elect Obama was named the winner in North Carolina. I still have a few bets outstanding in individual races as well as Missouri.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

TheSpecialOne and I went to California last week for what was to be a long weekend. That came from a bet I made on who would win the big job. We landed in San Francisco Thursday evening and I collected on two more bets, a quarter pound of BC Bud and six bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

Over the weekend we headed South to collect on the best bet I made this election season. I won two rounds of golf at Pebble Beach.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

As beautiful as I thought Pebble Beach was before going there it was over whelming to see in person. I shot one photograph of the course from the clubhouse and then put the camera away.

I didn't keep score in either round that I played and didn't know the course well enough to play for skins, but we did bet on individual shots.

You could say the good karma of the election carried over to the golf course and, from some of the bounces I got, the golf gods must have been smiling on me.

Whether Missouri goes blue or not, suffice to say, I won't be any worse off.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

We stayed a few extra days in California before heading home this afternoon.

I'm not sure whether I'll be playing golf again this season. Other than going to the driving range it doesn't look likely. Autumn has stretched out pretty well, but then, all good things must come to an end they say.

I couldn't end the season with a better round than I played in Pebble Beach. That's a definite.

Photograph by Kilroy_60
I launched this blog shortly after returning from Cape Cod. That makes it all the more interesting that I had an opportunity to visit the left coast not long after my three-year blogiversary.

It looks like convicted felon Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska is going to win re-election. I'll lose a bet there if that happens, but already have a double-or-nothing bet on what will happen next. More on that when the time comes.

If all goes as I hope I just might be seeing more of the Pacific Coast.

Thanks, again, to Senator John McCain, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and the GOP faithful for a great week.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride

"Politics is the art of controlling your environment. "
- Hunter S. Thompson

John F. Kennedy said, "A rising tide lifts all boats."

Not long after the Republican Convention was gaveled closed I was on the telephone with Republican friends placing bets.

As a gambler, it was my contention that the choice of Vice Presidents was the last piece of the puzzle that would lead to an Obama victory and Democrats from sea to shining sea would follow. {Why I supported Obama}

Here's my tally sheet...

Dixville Notch, New Hampshire
Won
with Obama/Biden beating McCain/Palin

Bet that some time during the day Sarah Palin would say she Thanks God for the opportunity to run for VP
Won {This came when she spoke to tv reporters after voting in Wasilla}

United States Senate - Virginia
Won
with Mark Warner (D) beating Jim Gilmore (R)

United States Senate - North Carolina
Won
with Kay Hagen (D) beating Elizabeth Dole (R)

South Carolina
Lost
with McCain/Palin beating Obama/Biden

United States Senate - New Hampshire
Won
with Jeanne Shaheen (D) beating John Sununu (R)

Pennsylvania
Won
with Obama/Biden beating McCain/Palin

Ohio
Won
with Obama/Biden beating McCain/Palin

New Mexico
Won
with Obama/Biden beating McCain/Palin

Texas
Lost
with McCain/Palin beating Obama/Biden

Iowa
Won
with Obama/Biden beating McCain/Palin

United States Senate - New Mexico
Won
with Tom Udall (D) beating Steve Pearce (R)

Bet on marijuana decriminalization passing in Massachusetts
Won

Bet against medical marijuana initiative passing in Michigan
Lost

Virginia
Won
with Obama/Biden beating McCain/Palin

Florida
Won
with Obama/Biden beating McCain/Palin

Colorado
Won
with Obama/Biden beating McCain/Palin

Nevada
Won
with Obama/Biden beating McCain/Palin

United States Senate - Kentucky
Lost
with Mitch McConnell (R) beating Bruce Lunsford (D)

Indiana
Won
with Obama/Biden beating McCain/Palin

Bet that Barack Obama would be elected President of the United States
Won

Results Map courtesy of National Public Radio

This was, certainly in my mind, a mandate for change. The path we have gone down under the leadership {sic} of George W. Bush has been bad for America and Americans.

It is time now to Make America PURPLE, to return prosperity and pride at home while earning back the respect and admiration around the globe which has been lost.

Election Day Started On The Plus Side Of The Ledger

I'll never be a professional gambler in the grand tradition of Hunter S. Thompson. There's one thing that I like to bet on, though, and that's politics.

I woke up this morning to find I'd won my first election day bet. I had money on Barack Obama to win in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.

Since 1960 Dixville Notch, a town with 75 residents that's located in the Northeast corner of the state, has opened its polls just after midnight. It's become well known as the first place in the country to deliver it's election results.

According to media reports, "a full 100 percent of registered voters" in Dixville Notch cast votes. That's all 21 of them.

I went out on the limb picking Obama in Dixville Notch. A Democrat hadn't won there since 1968, when Hubert Humphrey bested Richard Nixon, and George W. Bush won there twice.

This year, though, Dixville Notch turned blue! Obama won in a landslide, beating McCain 15-6!

Volunteering For The McCain/Palin Presidential Campaign

After my Sarah Palin article ran earlier this week I was feeling mischievous.

I went to the local McCain campaign "victory office", picked up a dozen yard signs and signed up to volunteer.

Beforehand, though, I went to the local Republican party office to pick up some signs and bumper stickers for other GOP candidates. I walked out, literally, with as many yard signs as I could carry in one trip.

When I went to the "victory office" the woman working there, who was the only one I saw, said she could give me one sign, adding that they're in short supply.

I pulled some bumper stickers out of my back pocket and told her that I was looking for more than one sign.

When you're the one whose willing to go out and do the errand...people ask for your help, I told her. I have 11 people waiting for signs and bumper stickers.

They're going in different yards?, she asked me. I told her they were and she responded that there were people coming to the office asking for 20 signs so they could line them up across the width of their yard.

When she gave me the signs she also asked if I would volunteer. I said I'd be happy to...and signed up my neighbor whose a big Ralph Nader supporter with a bad attitude when it comes to McCain. I've been out of town so I haven't seen him yet to get word about the McCain campaign calling.

As for the McCain/Palin sign I put out in The Writer's Refuge, right at the entrance where you can't miss it, TheSpecialOne just shook her head and laughed. When I went outside the next morning it was gone and no words were spoken of it.

Palin Set For White House Run In 2012

Photograph by Kilroy_60

Whatever the result of November's Presidential race, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin won't be leaving the big stage any time soon.

I've learned that Republican party officials in Alaska, as well as those at the Republican National Committee, have big plans for Palin.

That revelation came to light when I traveled to Alaska with The Master Baiter. We spent a few days with his friends who are well connected in the party and were able to provide me with unprecedented access.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

GOP officials have become so enamored with Palin during the McCain campaign that she will be running for a spot at the top of the ticket in 2012. That will be the case, whether she runs as the sitting Vice President or as a Senator from Alaska.

Republican officials would not comment on the possibility of Palin running as the sitting President should McCain win and then die in office. Although it was acknowledged that the chance of that happening range from 10-20 percent.

If McCain wins, Palin will be showcased in assignments that appeal to the party base.

Should McCain lose, Palin will return to Alaska and prepare to run for a seat in the United States Senate.

While in an abbreviated form, given that she will be the sitting governor and that Alaska has a much smaller population than New York, Palin is likely to conduct a "listening tour" as Hillary Clinton did prior to her Senate bid.

Palin would be due to run for the Governor's office again in 2009. Alaska's junior United States Senator Lisa Murkowski is also set to be on the campaign trail.

Party officials in Alaska see Palin running for the United States Senate while Murkowski sets her sights on the governor's mansion.

Photograph by Kilroy_60

McCain Campaign Officials Give Palin High Marks While Insulating Her From Criticism And Hiding The Truth About Her From The Public

Word from McCain campaign insiders is that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is getting high marks for her ability to attract crowds, to manipulate media coverage and to serve as a distraction for the Obama campaign.

Palin was not the first woman considered to round out the ticket, but she was seen as being most able to appeal to the traditional Republican base, to bridge the void between McCain and conservatives and to appeal to those Democrats who are angry that Barack Obama did not choose Hillary Clinton as his running mate.

Putting Palin on the ticket has added an interesting dynamic to the inner workings of the McCain campaign. There are campaign staffers whose sole responsibility it is to monitor communication from the Obama campaign and coverage by the media for any hint of what can be considered a slight of Palin.

Any question about Palin's qualifications is sought to be reframed as a personal attack. There is a focus on being especially sensitive to any comment which can be characterized as sexist.

The challenge is walking a fine line where Palin is portrayed as being capable of serving in the Oval Office should McCain have to step aside while insulating her from any criticism.

Some have expressed concern that McCain is being over shadowed by Palin, but that is not seen as a significant problem. Dealing with criticism of Cindy McCain's wealth has yielded techniques that are effective in boosting the Senator's profile as needed.

What concerns campaign officials more than anything is that voters will learn too much about Palin prior to the election.