We. The People.

I loved how he said it, repeated it, emphasized it.

WE – pause – the people.

Working together, we can make the American dream come true. Playing party politics won't – can't – accomplish that. The 112th Congress accomplished less than any previous Congress in our history. This outgoing body passed fewer laws than any in our history. Which is probably a good thing, since the legislation introduced by its members restricted freedoms for women, minorities, voters.

Those crying for freedom to carry guns sure don't care that they also want to restrict any and/or all of the remaining ones. I'm just sayin'.

Ah, but yesterday was a good day, a hopeful day. A day to put all that aside and feel buoyed up by pomp and circumstance and music and speeches and toasts and little girls and prayers and an amazing First Lady. And an equally amazing President.

I'm sappy and sentimental about my President. Especially on Inauguration Day. Four more years.

Bring it on.

You wanna secede? Seriously?

I wonder if the Obama administration is rethinking that whole We the People thing this morning, now that the number of petitions requesting a state's peaceful secession has doubled from 20 to 40.

He's probably wondering, in his heart of hearts, about that whole President thing. I know I surely would be by now!

While perusing the petitions, I saw this one from the city of Austin, Texas.

Way to stay, Austin!

Y'all can make up your own minds about whether states should have the right to secede or not. Some state constitutions specifically prohibit secession (North Carolina is one, and, yes, some asshat Tarheel posted a petition to secede anyway). West Virginia has already done it once, having seceded from Virginia, which sided with the Confederacy, during the Civil War.

(In my not-so-humble opinion, many in the Mountain State have forgotten their Union/union roots, as evidenced by the number of Confederate flags I see displayed.)

But of course there's a petition requesting peaceful secession for West Virginia, as well.

CRAZY TALK, people. President Obama was re-elected by a majority of the popular vote and a majority of the electoral vote. He won DECISIVELY. The right-wing pundits were predicting a landslide win of 325 electoral votes for their candidate. President Obama got 332. Hmmm.

The way things work here in the UNITED States of America is that every four years obscene amounts of money are spent in the process of electing someone to govern the UNITED States of America. One hopes, when one casts one's ballot, that the elected governing body will do its best for the common good. That is precisely why President Obama was re-elected: The Republican (and the Green, Mountain and Libertarian) candidate wasn't very appealing to most of us, so we voted for the incumbent.

If your We the People petition receives 25,000 signatures in 30 days, the White House will respond. So far, Texas will be getting a message. I would tell them to go sit in a corner until 2016, but then that's me. I've a feeling the President's staff response will be more measured and deliberate. And Texas won't be peacefully seceding any time soon.

The Republican party will be going the way of the Whigs if they don't start playing nice soon. There are smart, thoughtful, intelligent Republicans shaking their heads over what's been done to their message. I hope they rise up, speak out and kick ass. I really do. Good ideas come from meaningful dialogue.

If you take your toys and run away, you don't have a voice at all.