Today isn’t a holiday, but it ought to be, because today is my dad’s birthday. He’d have been 88 today, and he’s been gone for over 14 years now. There isn’t a day that goes by without me thinking of him, and I’ve always thought it was a shame he never met my wife and my dog. He’d have really liked the dog. 😉

It’s also Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday. We won’t celebrate it until Monday, but it’s certainly worth thinking about him today. It’s no secret that I consider Barack Obama a bit of a pandering, empty suit. But the fact than a black guy is a serious contender for president of the United States shows how far we’ve come since April 4th, 1968. Not far enough, as the recent bickering has made clear, and certainly not fast enough. But a long way nonetheless.

Happy Tuesday.