Leonard Pitts, from the Miami Herald wrote an article about the myth that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. He says the Emancipation Proclamation was a military measure to destabilize the rebellious south and did not apply in slave holding states. http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/857544.html
However, he does point to the fact that Lincoln abhorred slavery and believed in the humanity of blacks. Lincoln’s primary goal was to save the Union. And so, the Union of the United States remains.
But what kind of Union? We are witnessing today in the inauguration of the 44th President. The main theme is hope and confidence. We can be down in the gutter, but hope is the light at the end of the tunnel. I do hope for a greater Union. President Obama has been clear that it will take work and sacrifice. He is asking for all to do their part.
The United States is in virtual bankruptcy. I have awakened in my own personal life , the value of myself without a penny. I lost a big source of my usual income in the last year as a realtor in Miami. But in the process right now of rebuilding, I haven’t lost my dignity, self-respect or self-value. (more…)
That is what I have been, in frustration, yelling to Sparky( my 100 pound Labrador), every time he licks his wound. He got angry when the groomers shaved him for the first time. It was my sister’s suggestion to avoid shedding so much hair. Instead, all I have done is shed grief for 4 months and his wound doesn’t get better. It hasn’t gotten infected because I have given him antibiotics, gone to 2 veterinarians, applied sprays that the vet gave me, and holistic creams, muzzles, collar, special “bite not collar I bought of the internet, etc…. He is a mighty stubborn dog . I have also gone through countless gauze, bandages and tape which has pulled off. 
The pilot in the incident on the Hudson River in New York yesterday is quoted in the Miami Herald that a catastrophe was averted by his “quick thinking and deft manuevers”. Quick thinking like this can only be achieved by an alert and clear mind. 
I went out with my son tonight for a Coldstone ice cream desert on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables and happened to see this painting for sale in the window sill. With the inauguration of President elect Obama less than a week away, I thought that this depiction of Obama as Superman was symbolic.