One Year Ago Today - From Hope to Fear

On this day, last year at this time I was in Denver at the Mile High Stadium to hear Obama's acceptance speech. It was the closing night of the Democratic National Convention.

By all standards that was a memorable, even life-changing week for me...and this has been one crazy year. I have come to understand firsthand how hope and possibility can move people to make things happen.

I have also come to understand how fear can squeeze the intelligence right out of our otherwise right minds. It is toxic, as powerful a contagion as there is. And it is often in disbelief that I witness the extent to which people will be moved to do and say things out of their fear. For the life of me, however, I cannot fathom what is so frightening.

But when anxiety takes over, and the reptile brain kicks in -- there isn't much room for rational thinking, now is there? It is all about saving yourself and making sure there is enough just in case.

If I have learned anything this past year it is that I dare not try to make too much sense out of the irrational.

At times like these, perhaps all we need do is laugh. And so -- for your giggling pleasure I encourage you to think about Rush Limbaugh's penis. Yes, you read right. Mr. Limbaugh went there today and after I dried my eyes from the kooky giggles...I just had to post it for you.

Ladies and Gentlemen THIS is the politics of fear -- what will they worry about next.

My favorite quote of the year may be when Bill Maher said, "Electing an intelligent man to be our President, does not necessarily make us more intelligent."

What a long, strange year its been.