THE OBAMAS CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING

By Abdon Pallasch
Sun-Times Political Writer

CHICAGO–President-elect Barack Obama and his family spent an hour handing out chickens, potatoes, bread and other Thanksgiving food to poor families on Chicago’s South Side Wednesday morning after Obama introduced his latest economic advisors. Then he shook hands with Catholic grade school students ecstatic to see him.

Many of the poor and homeless — some of whom come for food every Wednesday — screamed in disbelief as they entered the parking lot of St. Columbanus church at 71st and Calumet Drive and realized the reason they had been wanded by the U.S. Secret Service was because Obama, his wife and daughters, were standing there ready to pass out the food usually handed out by volunteers.

“At Thanksgiving, it’s important for us to remember people in need,” Obama said. “They told me the number of people coming here is up 33 percent from last year.”

About 600 families got food, said Kate Maehr, executive director of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. That’s up from 270 families last year, said the Rev. Matt Eyerman.

This is the fourth year in a row Obama has handed out food before Thanksgiving. Last year, he did it in New Hampshire.

“We started seeing increases as early as last year January,” Maehr said. “In April, we started seeing double-digit increases.

“Happy Thanksgiving — hey, don’t forget your chicken,” Obama said after hugging one woman who screamed when she saw him. Declining to give an autograph, he said, “If I sign autographs, I can’t pass out my chickens.”

Michelle Obama and their daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7 , stood beside their father also handing out food in the 43-degree weather beneath the elaborate 99-year-old stained glass windows of St. Columbanus church. Obama wore a leather jacket while Michelle and the girls were bundled in winter coats and hats.

Obama said it was important to bring his daughters because, “I want them to know how fortunate they are and that they have to give back,” Obama said.

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Looks @ those kids faces when they see him. Many have tried to mock his
popularity, and derisively refer to him as a “celebrity” or “messiah,” but THIS is what it’s all about.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

Many people didn’t think it could be done.

And I was one of them.

I said it online, in my own blog, and other friend’s blogs. As
well as other online message boards. I said that Amerca
would never elect a Black man who’s middle name
is Hussein and who’s last name rhymes with Osama. I said
no chance in Hell.

And I was WRONG.

And I’m not ashamed to admit that I was wrong. I’m also
not ashamed to admit that, when I first heard the confirmation,
tears ran down my face. That’s right, I cried like a baby. It was
such a beautiful moment.

And then I got down on my knees, bowed my head, and gave
thanks to my Lord & Savior, the Supreme Being of the Universe
(I’m talking about OPRAH, of course), for allowing this event to
come to pass. Now, hopefully, he’ll remain safe.

Just to think, 151 years ago the Chief Justice of the U.S.
Supreme Court declared that Blacks were “beings of an
inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the
White race, either in social or political relations, and so far
inferior that they had no rights which the White man was
bound to respect.” While it was only a mere 41 years ago
that the Supreme Court finally ruled that laws banning interracial
marriages were unconstitutional. And on 11/04/08, the majority
of Americans voted to select the son of a Black man and a
White woman as the next President of The United States.

Wow.

Y’know, I’m not sure I can adequately describe how I’m
feeling right now. I always considered myself a patriotic person.
I’ve stated in the past that, despite it’s problems, America is
the Greatest Country on Earth (no disrespect to all of my
foreign friends) but now I realize that my patriotism was more
mental. I understood, intellectually, but now I really feel it, on
an emotional level. It’s in my heart now, I am an AMERICAN.
This is MY country, I belong here. It’s real.

We did it!

’nuff said.

PS.

I’VE NEVER BEEN TO A STRIP CLUB

I’ve just never wanted to. I’ve had guys try to get me to go with them to one before. @ my old job there was a club a few blocks away that guys used to sometimes go to after work, or even during lunchtime, but I never joined them. One of my co-workers now has told me about this club he goes to, where he swears that there’s a stripper who looks just like a very attractive woman we know, which I’ll admit is an intriguing idea, but I’m still not going with him. I just don’t get the appeal of it. It’s as if I’m missing that one particular “stripper gene” that most men seem to have. I mean, I love beautiful woman, & I love beautiful NAKED women, but I have no interest in watching a beautiful naked woman dancing on a stage. I’ve seen strippers on TV & in music videos & it just seems kinda silly. Dancing on a poll, lapdances, whatever.

I guess the thing that really kills it for me is that there’s no “payoff,” y’know? If I’m with a woman who wants to strip for me, in my house, as a prelude to sex, then that’s different. THAT would be exciting. But when you’re @ a club and she’s going to strip, dance around & then go away, it’s like, what’s in it for me? And, on top of that, I’m paying for it? That’s almost insulting to me. Like, you’re so damn hot, that I’m going to pay you money (on top of already paying the club, just to get in here), so that you’ll allow me the privilege of seeing you naked for a few minutes? No thanks. I happen to have an extremely vivid imagination. I can just picture you naked in my head. Still no payoff, but @ least that’s free (& what I imagine is probably better-looking than the real thing, anyway).

Speaking of naked women, there’s something I will confess. Several years ago, in a moment of credit card-induced impulse-shopping weakness, I actually ordered two of those damn Girls Gone Wild dvd’s. I was home, the commercial came on, 2 for just $9.99! So, what the heck, I called the 800 number. This thing was so friggin’ lame, man. I felt like such a darn moron for wasting my money on that. Seriously. The novelty of it wore off after about the first 2 minutes of the thing. I ended up fast forwarding through it all. Even the girl-girl action wasn’t @ all erotic, since you can hear all these drunken guys shouting in the background the whole time. I can’t imagine that any guy, over the age of 13, would actually be “getting off” to this. Seriously, just save the money & go buy some real actual porn, not this garbarge.