Happy Inauguration Day!

Totem Media, L.C. wishes everyone a safe, happy, warm, patriotic Inauguration Day!

Watching everyone gather at the Capitol is a stirring sight. From the comfort of my office, with a cat sitting on my shoulder, I'm enjoying the coverage - watching on TV and listening to the radio. (Radio coverage of these kinds of events tends to be less annoying.)

It's a sea of black coats, with shots of red from hats and scarves. Michelle Obama is a shining star in a lovely golden yellow dress suit and jacket.

Every inauguration is a moving event, even if I don't care for the politics of the President. People united in a positive event. Makes me believe that we can actually survive and thrive in this crazy world.

Time for a Beer! I Voted!

I had a very easy time voting today. I printed out a copy of the League of Women Voters' Voting Guide with my choices pre-selected before I went to the polls. I made my selections in the federal, state, and local races, including many judges.

My voting philosophy is simple.

1. I vote for a person, not a party.

2. I vote for a person or issue, not against.

3. I only vote if I know something about the candidate.

This led to my decision to not vote for either candidate for State Board of Education. Neither of them were worth my vote.

My studio is a few blocks from my polling place, so I walked there at 11:15 am. I arrived at 11:30 am. There was no line. I was prepared to wait because I brought water, some candy, and a book. Since I had preselected all of my votes, I made almost fifty selections in less than ten minutes, using the electronic voting machines.

Quick. Easy. Patriotic. I voted.

How about you?

Tim Russert, R.I.P.

Totem Media and our family offers condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of Tim Russert, host of the NBC Sunday morning program, Meet the Press. Details of his passing, and his life and work can be found here.

We watch Meet the Press every Sunday. It is a very good news show, discussing politics in an objective manner. Tim Russert was a great host. One reason is that he seemed fair. We felt we were getting both sides of the issues, unlike what one might see on Bill O'Reilly's or Amy Goodman's shows. Another reason we enjoyed watching Tim Russert is he had a good sense of humor. He was serious when needed, but could laugh at humorous situations or himself. Finally, he brought a strong sense of history and knowledge to the program. This ability to go back and directly quote people when they were either the guest or topic of discussion helped put today's hot-button topics in perspective.

We will miss his skill, his humor, and his voice.

Peace.

Be Seen and Heard: VOTE!