Are you willing to STAND STRONG AGAINST HATE? If so, please go to the Southern Poverty Law Center site and sign up as one who does take a stand against racism and other destructive prejudices. I am one of only 5 people in Rankin County who have signed up, so far, and I know I'm not the only one who feels as I do.

Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration has upset a lot of people. Warren would have been near the bottom of my list for possible picks, right above Jeremiah Wright, but it's his inauguration, so I'm glad he's willing to make controversial choices. He's sure to make some that will upset the other side of the aisle, too, but he is making an effort toward reconciliation among rival factions. Hopefully, this latest choice will help to neutralize some of the negativity among those ultra-conservative opponents he had during the campaign, and will draw some of them into the larger tent of UNITY. My pick would have been Bishop Robinson, but nobody would have been happy about that except for liberal Episcopalians and their LGBT friends. There's a good reason I'm not a politician.

I'm still trying to get house cleaning done, gifts wrapped, cards addressed, etc. Tonight I'm attending the Christmas party of the Rankin Co. Democrats, then a friend is coming over to help me decorate the Christmas tree. Last night we had a delicious meal after choir rehearsal. Our hostess cooked a pork butt, which we promptly hailed as "the best butt in town." I also enjoyed the lively conversation, the ribald humor, and the excellent wine. Nobody (who keeps all their clothes on) has more fun than we do, I promise.