Sometimes, like any parent, I think I do the worst job ever. They watch too much TV. I don't always find proper time to read with them. I don't always think I'm a great example.

And then ...

So, at dinner today, we had our usual pre-election discussions. And my son, who today proudly chose Barack Obama on the front of the Scholastic magazine, was clearly embarrassed. He had heard news about Barack Obama. And he worried it might change our mind, and we'd already voted.

Turns out Barack Obama is a baby killer.

I have found enormous comfort today in the "gloom and doom" diaries. People are bemoaning that Democrats aren't wielding the bat, and I would have agreed. Yet, in reading the specific criticisms, I find myself heartened by the brilliance of the Obama Team. I find myself making comments and realizing that the Democratic Party is reviving rhetorical forms we've nearly forgotten in the decades since the 1980s. We're so used to the techniques that have worked for the Republican Party since the days of Reagan that we don't understand that there are other effective ways of attacking the opponent that have worked for millenia.

Given that the idea that race will be a bigger factor in Pennsylvania than will sexism, I thought I'd share my perspective as a native of the Pittsburgh area. The issues of racism in that state are different than those in the South, I think, and I have seen many people confused by it. This is my take on things, so grain of salt and all of that.

I have long liked Obama, although was never fully in his camp, but I have to say that his speech yesterday was deeply moving to me.

There was something so refreshing about hearing someone admit that they love someone, count them as family, embrace their good points and still recognize that the person can have deeply flawed views of the world. And it made me cry as I thought of my very special great-aunt.

Randi Rhodes has never been my favorite among liberal talk show hosts, I'll admit, but her show used to be OK. But I listened for a half hour today, and she was just terrible and way off the rails.

There were a bunch of things that annoyed me about her little diatribe today. Being an Edwards supporter, the last annoyed me the most, but I'll go  as I recall things in chronological order.

I am still for Edwards. I prefer his rhetoric and attitude about what's to come in the general and in changing the country. Please don't use this diary to try to persuade me onto the Obama bandwagon. I'm strapped in and happy where I am, at least unless my candidate leaves the race. If y'all can dream and hope, so can I.

Nonetheless, I like to share news that will make people happy, and as mad as I get at some of the Obama supporters (and other candidate supporters, for that matter), some of you are quite nice and will enjoy this. :)

So, a "real-life voter" story my mom shared with me follows.

I don't often write diaries. I certainly never thought I'd find myself writing one that would get me into the candidate wars. But this Edwards is playing Nader nonsense seems to be spreading, and I feel a need to respond.

The great irony of equating Edwards to Nader because he is staying in the primary is that it buys into the greatest fallacy of Nader's own third-party run: That if we elect a Democratic candidate it will be just as bad as electing the Republican.

OK, I realize that 9/11 was supposed to kill irony, I didn't realize it had to kill all understanding of sarcasm and humor.

I watched the Kucinich answer. He was joking. Yes, I saw something I couldn't identify, aka a UFO, and now I'm opening campaign offices in two of the best known sites of UFO lore. It was a sarcastic answer to one of the stupider questions in debate history, a high bar indeed, but that one shattered it.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, my U.S. representative and one of the worst of the Bushbots may not seek re-election in 2008.

Mary Jo Kilroy nearly won this seat in 2006 (it was in recounts for weeks), and she would be the favorite against anyone the GOP might put up. One possible candidate, Steve Stivers, however is an Iraq veteran. With luck, the GOP will turn instead to former Attorney General and Auditor Jim Petro.

Here's a neat little story that I think is wonderful fun for conspiracy-happy hearts like my own.  

Short version: The man in charge of PR for the military base in Roswell, N.M., in 1947 died a couple of years ago. He left an affidavit to be opened only after his death, and its contents were publicly released last week. It contains his sworn statements that he saw an alien spacecraft, alien bodies and was involved in the decision to make up the weather balloon story.

I did do a search, but I'm no expert, so I apologize if you've seen this before. It was so egregious I felt compelled to mention it.

I wasn't sure whether this was heartening or terribly sad to me, but I think this anecdote from a Wiggles concert here in Columbus last evening shows something has changed in this country in the past several years.

Hey, it's my birthday, and the place isn't at its best. Maybe you could all set up a "help Magenta get her house in order" movement?

Seriously, can't you have priorities?

Wow, almost a year. That's difficult to believe. And I know people are still suffering and trying to rebuild their lives and their city.

I'm going to share the essay I wrote for the book I promote in my tagline. Lots of people were involved, and it's still for sale, BTW. This essay can't touch luckydog's, though, damn; I'm still crying.

I am sad because while I loved the opportunity to hear the Rev. Jim Wallis speak in Columbus, his fellow speaker, Rev. Russell Johnson, fulfilled every negative stereotype of the religious right. Ssomehow, I hoped against wisdom that I would find something positive in what the man said. I hoped, honestly, that I would hear something that gave us real common ground, and I only heard platitudes and lip service to what I consider grounding Christian -- heck call it human -- principles.

After Katrina, my husband got in touch with some of his contacts in the gaming industry with an idea to put together a book in tribute to the New Orleans region and raise some money for hurricane relief. So, many volunteers and 150 or so pages later, the book is availabe as a pdf or in a print-on-demand version.

I hope no one minds that I'm going to use this space to ask for some help with a project very dear to my heart.

I'm a participant in a project we're calling "Beyond The Storm: Shadows of the Big Easy." You can find out more at this Website: www.beyondthestorm.us. We really could use your help.

Please read a bit more about this below.