I am so sick and tired of all the political talk and bashing and trashing. Can I get an amen? I get that some people do not like President Obama. I get that you think he is an illegal alien, Muslim, spendthrift that is destroying our country. I get that some of you do not like Mitt Romney because you think he is a polygamous, descendant of illegal aliens, hater of the downtrodden. But, please is there not something else we can talk about?
I do not watch the news nor read the newspaper (except on Sundays) for a reason. I mean, seriously, how much of what we read or hear is even true? By the time the spin doctors have operated on comments and actions, there is very little original left; sort of like Joan Rivers' face.
I have missed voting in very few elections since I became a registered voter, which was the very first day I was of age. I am most grateful for the freedom to vote for whomever I wish. I am most grateful to live in a country where we can verbally trash our elected officials, but just because we can does not mean we should.
I have friends who are rabid Republicans. I have friends who are rabid Democrats. I have friends who try to vote for the person, not the party. Sometimes that vote is cast for someone who they feel will do a great job, sometimes they vote for the least objectionable candidate. I do not know who is right. Maybe none of them are right and none of them are wrong. I do not know. But, I do know that this barrage of vitriolic talk is not productive....for anyone.
The media love to pick up some not-too-bright comment a candidate makes and blow it all out of proportion. I know the guy that made the comment about "legitimate rape not causing pregnancy" sounds like an imbecile, but I am fairly certain that not everything he says is so out of step with good sense. When it was on the news it made me consider how many stupid things I say, but, fortunately, they are not recorded and played and replayed. I remember one time in Humanities Class in high school when our teacher said that before Jesus was born (yeah, folks, public high school) Mary and Joseph had "not known each other." In all my church of Christ, Bible believing, arrogance, I piped up, "of course they knew each other - they were engaged!!" Duh! Ah, but then, I was struck by the Spirit with an understanding of what exactly the teacher meant. I was in Junior Humanities Class - considered the "advanced" class. Bet Mrs. Miller was wondering what in world I was doing in there. It was a stupid statement, spoken from misunderstanding, but it did not make me a bad person. It made me look stupid, really stupid, for a few minutes. It embarrassed me to no end (here I am 43 years later remembering it), but I was not ostracized because of it.
We just love watching replays of politicians falling down plane steps or hitting someone in the head with a golf ball. It makes us feel so superior to watch it and think to ourselves or say out loud, "what a doofus." What a hypocrite I am when I do that. Every time I watch people enjoy the discomfort or misstep of someone else, I think of a few of the many stupid things I have done. I mean, one day at Opryland, I let the goats out of their pen. I did not mean to. I remain convinced that as I opened the gate to pet the little darlings that the big one seized the opportunity. In some goat sign language he told the little ones to escape as he wedged his head so that I could not close the gate. They came running out, and they were not interested in just seeing the petting zoo beyond their little area; no sir, they wanted to see the entire park, and run for freedom they did. I stood screaming in a high screechy voice, "Kenny, Kenny" to Mr. Lincoln who was no help as he could barely respond because of his laughter. Let me add, that his offspring were no help either as they bent double in hysteria. You want to talk mortification? I was totally mortified. Could I have looked any more dumb? I do not think so, but it is not the first thing people think of when they see me.
I wonder why we always want to assign poor motives to people's actions as well. We are so quick to accuse and so slow to give the benefit of the doubt, especially the politicians of the "other" party. Of course, I am sure there are some of them who have wicked motives for actions, but I am equally certain that some of them get blamed for actions and words for which they have no responsibility. Once, Mr. Lincoln and our children were at the balloon glow at Percy Warner Park. It was quite the spectacle; dozens of hot air balloons being fired up. The glow of all the colors was spectacular. In the park, facilities are few and far between, so they had a row of port-a-potties in the field near the balloons. I found it necessary to visit one of those. There was a line in front of each one. I picked a line. The gentleman in front of me went in, and I patiently awaited his vacating the premises. Well, apparently, the door became stuck. Standing outside, I could hear his exclamations of dismay as he tried to open the door. He began to put a bit more force into his efforts resulting in the port-a-potty rocking to and fro. From the monologue I was hearing through the door, it seems that a bit of the contents in the facility splashed up on this gentleman. I will admit, that I perversely found some humor in the situation, but I was not laughing uproariously as he finally got the door open and disembarked. Well, apparently, for some completely unknown reason, this man thought that I was holding the door so that he could not get out. This man I had never met. He began to yell at me, in front of lots of people, including my hero, Mr. Lincoln, who by that time was laughing uproariously in the ludicrousness of him thinking I was holding the door so he could not get out. There was no convincing that man. I imagine there were others around who were convinced that I was holding the door. But, trust me, I was not.
So, please, people, give it a rest. We all look like stupid, mean-spirited, doofuses at some time or the other. I have to wonder if it really makes any difference who we elect any way. There can be talk about bipartisanship, but very few elected officials as well as voters really want that. We are all too busy wanting to be superior, and wanting our party to look good. Face it. Neither of them looks good. I'll definitely vote in the presidential election. I have made a pact with myself that I refuse to vote for anyone from whom I get a canned campaign phone call that starts out with a 2 second delay after I answer. And, heaven help them if they call while I am rocking a baby and that child is awakened. Not only will that person NOT get my vote, but I WILL vote for his/her opponent. Yep, I think that's how I'll decide who to vote for. I figure it is as good a way as any.
So for today, I wish you brilliance, poise, and understanding from your fellow man, and if that fails, I wish you
blessings
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