I was embarassed when our cocker-spaniel would consistently bark at a black person.

An evening, when my parents were out to dinner, when I turned on all the lights in the house and hid under the coffee table because the TV was reporting that blacks were marching into white neighborhoods and rioting.

A Thanksgiving dinner when I was mad because my grandparent’s black maid, Murphy, had to eat her Thanksgiving dinner alone in the kitchen.

“Whites Only” signs above water fountains.

Being horrified watching news reports of blacks being beaten by police and sprayed by the forceful water from fire trucks.

The first two black students to be allowed to go to my high school.

The first black family to move into our neighborhood – and the stir it caused.

The only black student my freshman year in college.

I remember coming to understand that the way things were was wrong, and believing that it just couldn’t stay that way. That, ultimately, people had to be better than that.

These thoughts are swimming in my head as I try to put today’s Presidential inauguration in perspective.

Earlier today I got a little frustrated. There are those who aren’t pleased that Barack Obama is now our president and, with the ability to publicly voice one’s opinion no further away than a keyboard, are very vocal via forums such as Twitter and Facebook.

As my memories of a time of egregious inequality, hatred, and fear bubbled to the surface, I became increasingly annoyed by those who do not seem to be able to set cynicism aside for a moment – just a relatively tiny moment – and allow this historic day to sink in.

I told them to shut-the-fuck up.

They didn’t.

I won’t hold it against them. After all, we have the right to express opinion in this country – along with the right to disagree. I can’t help but observe, though, those who are being so negatively vocal today were born and have come of age in a time when the signs above the water fountains are no longer there; their schoolmates were a salad of different races and cultures; and Martin Luther King, Jr. means an extra day off work.

They are fortunate, indeed.

Will President Barack Hussein Obama be the leader our country so desperately needs right now? There is time to debate that – another day than today. On this day, I choose to be idealistic and hopeful. To let the weight of this historic moment sink in.

Tomorrow – we get to work.

I had a very unhappy reader today. He/She left a comment on an old post which, bluntly, called me “a pathetic, jerk-off, time-wasting jack ass”. The commenter didn’t find what she/he was expecting and just couldn’t withhold her/his wrath.

What was the commenter in search of? Dirt. Dirt on the (now) Democrat nominee for the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

You see, that particular post was an attempt to mock the media and the penchant for salacious leads and teasers only to have nothing in actuality to report. It’s all designed to keep one tuned in, see. Get it, Mr./Ms. Annonymous?

You can take comfort though, Mr./Ms. A, you are not alone. Approximately 90% of the folks who land here by way of a search engine, are looking for the same dirt. To wit:

 Num  Perc. Search Term 53 16.26% obama cheating on wife 34 10.43% obama cheating on his wife 33 10.12% obama cheated on wife 27 8.28% obama cheated 12 3.68% obama cheated on his wife 9 2.76% obama wife affair 8 2.45% barack obama cheating on wife 7 2.15% obama cheating wife 6 1.84% is obama cheating on his wife 6 1.84% barack obama cheated on wife 6 1.84% obama affair 5 1.53% obama affair wife 4 1.23% obama extramarital 4 1.23% obama caught cheating on wife 4 1.23% obama caught cheating on his wife 4 1.23% michelle obama cheated 4 1.23% obama cheated wife 3 0.92% obama's cheating on wife 3 0.92% wife obama affair 3 0.92% barack obama cheated on his wife 3 0.92% obama cheating on wife? 2 0.61% obama's affair with another woman 2 0.61% barack obama cheating on his wife michele 2 0.61% obama wife 2 0.61% obama cheating on his wife? 2 0.61% obama affair his wife 2 0.61% obama & wife affair 2 0.61% obama has affair 2 0.61% obama extramarital affairs 2 0.61% obama cheated on wife? 2 0.61% obama, wife, affair 2 0.61% is obama cheating on his wife? 1 0.31% has obama had any marital affairs 1 0.31% has obama cheated on wife? 1 0.31% obama affair with wife 1 0.31% obama and cheated on 1 0.31% obama cheated with another woman with michelle 1 0.31% obama affair extramarital affair 1 0.31% has obama had marital affairs ? 1 0.31% did obama cheated on hi wife 1 0.31% obama's wife affair 1 0.31% obama affair cheat michelle 1 0.31% does obama cheat on his wife? 1 0.31% obama affair with another source:woman 1 0.31% weekly dizzy spells senior citizen 1 0.31% obama cheat affair 1 0.31% is obama cheating on wife? 1 0.31% obama and wife's affair 1 0.31% obama cheated? 1 0.31% has obama cheated on michelle 1 0.31% obama affair on wife 1 0.31% obama cheated on wife with man 1 0.31% was obama cheating on his wife 1 0.31% obama cheated affair 1 0.31% has obama cheated on wife? 1 0.31% obama wife cheated 1 0.31% obama cheat wife 1 0.31% obama cheated on wife marriage 1 0.31% obama cheating on wife 1 0.31% obama, cheating on his wife 1 0.31% obama cheat on his wife 1 0.31% obama's cheat affair 1 0.31% obama affair extramarital cheating 1 0.31% obama affairs cheating 1 0.31% obama cheating wife 1 0.31% master of my own domain 1 0.31% obama's wife cheating 1 0.31% obama's affair with woman 1 0.31% obama cheated 1 0.31% obama - cheating on wife 1 0.31% barack obama cheating on his wife 1 0.31% michele obama affairs 1 0.31% obama, cheating, wife 1 0.31% obama wife affair 1 0.31% obama latest news about cheating on his wife 1 0.31% obama affair with another women 1 0.31% barack obama caught cheating on his wife! 1 0.31% obama affair, cheat 1 0.31% obama affair women cheat 1 0.31% obama caught cheating on his wife? 1 0.31% obama wife have affair ? 1 0.31% barack obama affair wife 1 0.31% obama's cheating on his wife 1 0.31% obama wife cheated 1 0.31% obama extramarital affair 1 0.31% obama affairs cheating michelle 1 0.31% extramarital affair obama 1 0.31% obama wife cheating 

To all of you out there so desperate to find dirt on Mr. Obama – you’re wasting your time. Why not just listen to what Barack has to say? That would be a far more productive use of your time then wasting it on a fruitless search only to land here, the vaste wasteland of a pathetic, jerk-off, time-wasting lazy ass (I have the t-shirt ordered).

But, thanks for stopping by. You’re welcome back anytime.