November Reign

Well, well, well, Georgie Boy won. At first, it appeared we might have a repeat of 2000 on our hands, with hundreds of thousands of provisional ballots in Ohio holding things up. But it became apparent that Bush's lead was just big enough that it wouldn't have made a difference, so Kerry conceded quickly on Wednesday. Although I have to laugh when Bush talks about his "clear mandate." Fifty-one to 48 isn't a clear mandate, it's a country divided. The real deciding factor in this election wasn't the war on terror, the economy, or the candidates' war records (or lack thereof). It was the issue of gay marriage that brought out conservative Christian voters in droves, voting down same-sex marriage ballot initiatives throughout the country and voting in the presidential candidate who was against same-sex marriage. In the end, the states for Kerry were up and down the coasts, while Bush took the heartland. There have been a lot of conservatives gloating in the last few days, as well as liberals threatening to move to Canada. It also inspired this fine piece of cartography, which is making the rounds on the InterWeb.

Canadian immigration officials felt the need to warn would-be American expatriates of the piles of paperwork necessary to apply for Canuckian status. Being a Canadian by birth (and a U.S. citizen for the last 15 years), I have no desire to live in my homeland. Too damn expensive. There are taxes on everything, including the taxes. Cool place to visit, though.

The NHL canceled the 2005 All-Star game. It won't be long until they wipe out the entire season. I don't see any hope for this year; they haven't even been meeting, let alone making any progress. At least the Hockey Hall of Fame is still honoring a superb class this year, with Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Larry Murphy and Cliff Fletcher getting inducted tomorrow night. Here's a great feature from the Boston Globe about Bourque, one of the classiest and best d-men of all time.

Today would have been my dad's 64th birthday. Here's to you, big guy. And will you turn off the TVLand reruns and go to bed?