Politics and Religion

I believe the rules of polite society apply to writing blogs as well as dinner conversation.

Rule #1 - Never discuss religion or politics.

Neither will be discussed here, but I do have one thing to say. I will be so glad when this divisive, contentious, partisan slug fest is over on November 4th. I am done with it, over it, heard enough, let's stop deliberations and deliver the verdict. Even a hurricane eventually goes away so we could pick up the pieces and move on.

I am tired of the media pundit pulpit, where each issue has to be debated in the red and blue terms of a dogmatic two party system. Under the guise of exposing "both sides", a panel discussion usually includes a person to the extreme left and one to the extreme right of any issue. And after every event, every poll and every press release there is the mandatory panel of experts dissecting every nuance and word. Eventually the event is autopsied so completely with the bias of unwavering party lines that nothing of truthful substance remains. If you throw crap on everything, everything looks like crap, so how can you distinguish anything?

The first Presidential debate was of no solace. Jim Lerher was like the referee in a boxing ring telling the fighters they had to fight. He was actually encouraging the candidates to go after each other. Jim... we are trying to pick a President not chose the Godfather of our gang. Blood is not necessary. If both candidates exit the ring totally covered in blood, how do you know who won? Oh Yee from Public Television should know that, Jim.

Ask anyone "Who won the debate" and the answer will tell you what party they belong to. The truth is always in the compromise which these spinners are never willing to do. Last night I found myself yelling "Bull Shit" at the television trying to add my two cents to a discussion between immovable idiots self dubbed the "best political team on Television." Bull shit I screamed to an emotionless LED screen. That's when I knew it was time to turn off the television. The whole inane discussion was just an attempt to keep me watching so they could sneak in a commercial for erectile dysfunction medicene, which I thought at the time was interesting. Obviously they assumed the only people watching this trash is a bunch of macho posers who, in reality, can't get it up.

I know who I am going to vote for, I have made my decision. Like always it will be the lessor of two evils. It would take a major crisis or global event to change my mind. So why do I feel compelled to watch the pugilism? To blame the media is like blaming electricity for electrocution. The cable and network shows are just responding to what people are willing to watch. If the ratings dropped the more they whipped up a political fever all networks would quickly switch to reruns of Leave it to Beaver. They are just tying to sell ED medications not help inform the electorate.

So here it is. If after 18 months, countless primaries, two conventions and thousands of hours of "information" on every television station, YouTube and Internet outlet, you still don't know who you are voting for, the next few weeks are not going to help you. Just show up at the poles and flip a coin. I am more willing to believe in random chance than the actual intelligence of the average American voter. Let's just get on with it.

As you were,
Jay