I can't believe it is October 7th already. Another debate this evening, another day closer to the election. I have to admit, I have tuned most of it out for sanity's sake. But I will watch the debate tonight. It's like a train wreck these days. Getting kind of ugly and stupid. Let's just rehash the same old supposed scandles (on both sides) and ignore the issues that plague the vast majority of Americans today. Yuck! I am heartily ashamed of Obama right now. He needs to go back to being himself and tell those campaign strategists to pack up their desks.
On the McCain (McPain) side of things, the picture is a bit uglier. As their place in the polls recedes into the depths, they get meaner and more ridiculous. Dear God, Bill Ayers again! The man was an activist (albeit a misdirected, violent one) during the Vietnam War era, who felt powerless and angry and desperately wanted to save the lives of American soldiers and the Vietnamese people. But guess what? He grew up. The man, forty years later, is a respected authority on education reform and a distinguished professor at one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country, the University of Chicago. That aside, he and Obama sat on two charity boards together and saw each other little more than a dozen times. It grosses me out that McCain/Palin are labelling the man a terrorist and equating him with Osama bin Laden. The inanity of that is off the charts.
Then there is Palin's remark about Rev. Wright (again!) Who is she to be talking about religious anything? This woman had a witch hunter pray over her that she might win her state governor's election. And when she won, she thanked him and attributed the win to his prayers. Come on. Is America even paying attention? A witch hunter, people! A witch hunter! God help us all.
Rev. Wright spent a lifetime being angry about racism and that anger and the injustices that he has experienced are reflected in his theology. If he is disappointed in America, it is probably because he's been paying attention. I myself had a period of disenchanted anti-nationalism. That period occurred after I saw pictures of the torture of Timorese women (wives of soldiers) by Indonesian soldiers. The soldiers were schooled in these "interrogation techniques" by our own government ala The School of the Americas. (Wikipedia has a very brief description of this organization if you are interested.) I nearly vomitted. My motto ever since: Glad to be an American. Though nowadays, I'm not all that certain that being an American protects you from unlawful imprisonment and torture.
I just wish these politicians (including most of my state ones) would just get a clue. If they are really interested in helping people they should start by setting a positive example with their words and actions. This crap is petty and it just makes me tired. Hopefully this debate will evoke something substantive from each of the candidates.
I hope to have a new installment of my love letters series soon, this one on meditation and prayer. BUT I've been back at my other eternal writing project again, so who knows when I will publish that post? Until then, be well and don't believe everything you hear, unless you've read it here of course :)
