A vote for honesty

A former governor and Baptist minister from Arkansas with a message of compassion for America's working class. A Senator with only three years experience-and, more importantly perhaps, the country's first potentially electable African American President.

What a resounding slap in the face to the party establishment.

Granted: rural, overwhelmingly White Iowa, with its large numbers of evangelical Republicans and liberal (populist) Democrats, isn't California, or Florida, or New York, or Tennessee.

Still, there are moments when the ground shifts under the feet of those who want to keep the old playbook-and this may one.

Change was the message from last night's Iowa caucuses. But I'm hoping it wasn't just about rejection, but about affirmation.

YES, we want a person who knows that many Americans haven't done well under 30 years of policies that favor the wealthy. YES, we are enthusiastic about the idea that our President might look more like America.

And, I hope it's a vote for honesty...Huckabee hasn't done as well in that respect as Obama. He's good at playing people off against one another. But the Mitt Romneys and Clinton's and Guilianis blessed by the bureaucrats doesn't appear to recognize a moral principle to save their souls. We deserve better.

The Mating Season?

I thought January was the season in which one vowed to lose weight-apparently, at least on dating sites, it is the month in which one vows to "gain mate."

I have spent the past few days fielding many more than my usual docket of emails from men of varying ages, occupations and marital status.

One gentleman wanted me to "break the rules" with him-I wonder which ones? Do I get to make them up? Another asked me how I was doing and when we were going to meet for tea...I wonder why tea, and not coffee.

After writing in my profile that I don't respond to winks (favorably) last week, I was "winked" at by about 12 men. A customer service representative (I called to find out why I keep ending up with sultry brunette women in my searches-are they telling me something?) told me that lots of guys are "so shallow" they just look at the pictures.

On the other hand, I've had a couple of guys comment on my profile in ways that show that they actually have read it. Several men seem quite genuine and thoughtful. I don't think I'm the easiest potential date. As an eclectic minister with a keen ear for depravity, I probably appear as strange to your average porn addict, swinger or ardent agnostic as some of them do to me.

It's lovely to be thought of as desirable-what would be even lovelier would be to wholeheartedly, for once (or twice) desire back. But perhaps wholeheartedness is the privilege of the young. Or maybe the young at heart?