Category: Orphans

Although searching somewhat diligently, I have been unable to find a clip of the Salvation Army television spot that has played during the holiday season over the last couple of years. Many of you, I am sure, know what I am talking about. It is the commercial in which a Salvation Army bell ringer appears at scenes of disasters.

The bell ringer appears next to a homeless person. The bell ringer is in the midst of a fire. The bell ringer is on top of a flooded home.

While the spot is obviously meant to show the breadth of situations in which the Sal responds the commercial does leave one fascinating question unanswered: What did the bell ringer do to piss off her superiors? I mean, standing on top of a home in the middle of a flood? Ringing in Skid Row, where by the way, I don’t think a lot of change would be collected. Ditto for putting a Red Kettle inside a burned out structure.

I certainly hope that bell ringer has a better holiday season soon. Perhaps a nice spot outside a Wal-Mart is in that person’s future.

Okay, so the White House has posted this pic of the president and president-elect during their meeting today. Say what you want, but the picture beats hordes of folks in uniform shooting their automatic weapons in the air and celebrating a military coup. — White House photo by Eric Draper

He’s a black president but he isn’t President-elect Obama, whose picture seems conspicuously absent from the White House Web page after his visit today. At least that was the status when I last checked.

Checking the White House Web page this afternoon I noticed no pictures had been posted from the meeting today between the president and the president-elect. They did have one black dude’s picture, at the bottom of the page, but he happened to be the president of Ghana. I would liked to have heard Gee Dubya pronounce President John Agyekum Kufuor’s name. I mean “John” I’m sure the prez wouldn’t have botched, but then again it is Gee Dubya we’re talking about.

Now that the presidential election is history the media’s attention now turns to “The Name Game,” or speculating the possible picks for cabinet and other high government offices.

Obama will pick who he picks so I see no good reason for me to worry over who may or may not become Defense Secretary or Secretary of State. I would rather him choose someone for both of those positions who, at the very least, knows Africa is a continent and not a country.

With the exception of the department which gives me part-time work and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides my health care, I won’t be very heavily invested in the selection of the cabinet or Obama’s advisers. And I won’t have any say over who becomes Secretary of _________ or VA Secretary so all I can do is hope the new president doesn’t chooses dunces for either post.

But I guess the name game is fun, especially for political reporters and pundits. And I am sure that it provides a great ego boost for a number of high-placed politicians or those at the top of their game. I do think it would be great if Obama picked one person who will make people’s jaws drop, like Paris Hilton for Energy Secretary. Of course, it’s a ridiculous proposition but if you remember she did have probably the best energy plan of any of this year’s crop of presidential candidates.

President Bush promises White House workers today that President-Elect Obama will look “as gray and haggard as we all look” by the time he is finished with office.

Gee Dubya thanked his White House staff today and said there will be a seamless transfer of power. He did not mention specifically that White House staffers could or could not remove the “a”s from all of the computer keyboards in the executive mansion and Executive Office Building. Note: “Barack Obama” contains four “a”s. He did sound a note of warning to the incoming president and his staff:

“Some of you have been at the White House for just a few months. Others arrived the same day that we did nearly eight years ago. You’re the ones who can tell that my hair has gotten a little grayer. (Laughter.) Others are career employees who have been here for 30, or 40, sometimes 50 years. I can tell that your hair has gotten grayer. (Laughter.)”

Thanks Mr. President (Laughter), for a wonderful eight years. (Laughter)(Laughter)(More laughter)