Short takes from a journey through a disorganized mind:

I'm pretty fed up with these idiots who keep insisting that President Obama wasn't born in the United States and thus should not have been eligible to serve the last four years as president. I mean, he had three major obstacles to overcome if he were hiding something. I find it impossible to believe that if there was something to the claims, Hillary Clinton wouldn't have used it against him in the primaries. Then Republicans certainly would have used it in the general election campaign. Finally, the "birthers" filed suits in court after court that were thrown out.

To believe that Obama really was ineligible, you almost have to believe that everyone is in on it, including numerous Republicans.

The whole thing is ridiculous anyway. The idea that a president had to be native-born was an 18th century fear of European royalty ruling our country. The American people should be the ones to make the decision, and if at various times people might have wanted to vote for Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austrian born) or Henry Kissinger (German born) or for Democrat Jennifer Grantholm (Canadian born), they should have had that opportunity.

Admittedly, I'm prejudiced. I have a daughter who I honestly believe could have a great career in politics should she so desire, but even though she has been in this country since she was 7, she wasn't born here. I shudder to think of a world where brilliant, personable people can't run for president, but Michelle Bachman can.
<p style="text-align: center;">***</p>


[caption id="attachment_1800" align="alignleft" width="241" caption="Halloween in Jamaica"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/523651_10151281582872122_1074508464_n.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1800" title="523651_10151281582872122_1074508464_n" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/523651_10151281582872122_1074508464_n-241x300.jpg" alt="" width="241" height="300" /></a>[/caption]
<p style="text-align: left;">Speaking of my daughter Pauline, aka the mother of my grandchildren, she and husband Ryan made a big deal out of Halloween in their first year of three stationed in Jamaica. They ordered costumes online. Ryan was something called a Tauntaun, which is a character I failed to remember from the "Star Wars" movie, while Pauline and little Lex have costumes from "Star Trek" and Maddie is a princess.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I get a kick out of the look on Lex's face. Halloween is three months before his birthday, and he is 1 year old now.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">***</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I am very impressed by Performance Bicycle. As I wrote last week, I ordered a road bike online. I was told it would be shipped from North Carolina and I would be able to pick it up from the Atlanta store in three weeks.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">They cut 16 days off the time.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">My bike arrived last Thursday -- 16 days ahead of schedule.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I picked it up Saturday, and while I haven't been on it yet, it's only a matter of time.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">It's a lot different from my first bike -- no basket on the back to carry things, for one thing.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">But damned if it isn't beautiful.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">***</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Tuesday is election day. Exercise your right to vote, whether you're supporting the guy I like or the guy I don't like.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Later.</p>
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