The Final Debate

Not a lot can be said that I haven't already said about the first debate but here are a few things I thought:

• John McCain seemed a little desperate, although some people might not have picked up on it you could tell he was being far more tactical in his responses and to me it was evident that he's looked at the recent polls. Moreover, I think he was really reaching in a lot of things he said and it's quite obvious he's now desperate to separate himself from Bush more than ever. Personally I think it might be a little too late for that because more often than not, his record shows that he's been along side Bush and this administration
• Even with McCain's despair being relatively obvious I don't really feel Obama capitalized on it much, but he did have two glaring moments that really made me laugh: First when responding to Mr. McCain's "I was hurt by the accusations made by your supporters/ads/etc." and Mr. Obama responded "I don't think America really cares about our hurt feelings" and at no point offered an apology or "repudiation" as Mr. McCain wanted and to me that was great. Second was during the same conversation when Mr. McCain brought up his relationship(s) with the "terrorist" and the group who was basically committing voter fraud. His response was lucid, it was confident and more importantly believable. I can't say if it were true or not because I haven't looked into the financing but most people won't anyway.
• Some things that stuck out about Mr. McCain though were not very positive in my view. Not only did he blatantly ignore the aforementioned explanation and repeat exactly what he said prior to it, immediately after but he also repeatedly talked over Obama and out of turn. It was stupid, petty, and quite frankly disrespectful which is exactly what he was whining about 10 minutes earlier.
• The fact McCain said he was open to federal funding for stem cell research may have really hurt him amongst the Evangelical vote, that could play a huge factor in the outcome of this election. If there was anything Bush truly capitalized on in 04 that wasn't the war, it was the Evangelical vote with his stance(s) on abortion, stem-cells, and gay marriage. As stupid and frivolous as these things are in the grand scheme of the Presidency they are huge to one of the biggest voting populations the conservative base has. Losing those votes could cost him the election.

But now it's down to the last stretch with the election under a month away. We'll see how it all plays out.

Segregation by politicalization

As a society we are plagued by political polarization - Us vs. Them and very little in between - day in and day out the "experts" analyze and rationalize the goings on, yet almost no two are the same. How does one become an "expert?" What exactly qualifies them as such? Why is it that 3 "experts" in the same exact thing have differing results, opinions, foresights, etc. ?

Everyone has their own agenda, their own bias and ultimately nothing is completely valid, yet we are still fed these lies under the deceptive veil of expertise. So many fall victim to this practice and it shapes the opinion, knowledge and vision of them. They carry these perceptions and partial or complete misinformation to their cell phones, dinner tables, lunches and water coolers. They spread them like a virus through the ears and subsequent minds of the curious. Slowly the country is skewed to one side or the other - a see-saw bent in the middle with both sides grounded.

Some ferociously defend their stance, their ideology, while attacking the other though more often than not both sides are ignorant and they spew misinterpretations to on another as the polarization grows more and more evident and vast.

I cannot stress the incredible amount of exaggeration that goes into the ideological classifications of Liberal (Left) and Conservative (Right). Almost no one is completely one or the other and yet so many seem to ascribe to the misconception about the other. It's as if we need the opposite extreme to somehow justify what we do believe. Nothing in politics is more frustrating to me than this ideological polarization based on generalizations and flat-out embellishments. To me, our country simply cannot sustain itself and progress in the shape it is in. Yes, everyone should have their own opinions, thoughts and beliefs, but the fact we all share a common goal should not be lost in the balance.

We all generally want the same things from government: We want it to serve us and not visa-versa, to provide and insure quality of life and education, to never encroach upon our natural rights or constitutional freedoms, to protect us from harm and always me just to all.

However instead of civilians acknowledging this we have been overcome with selfishness and a complete loss of appreciation, respect and compassion for our fellow countrymen. Think of the overall American sentiments in the aftermath of 9/11. Think of the way it brough us almost all together, think of the Northeastern blackout where instead of chaos, people helped each other and got through it.

What happened to that? Call it what you will but the government ruined it and frankly they did it on purpose. In particular the Republican rely on this exact polarization in order to maintain power and in this administrations case, abuse it or at least attempt to. They use divisive issues like abortion and gay marriage to define ideologies and divide our nation's politically and socially cognizant citizens. But it's all tactical and nothing more. Efforts to abolish and/or criminalize these things are intentionally fruitless because it draws out voters for their cause(s).

One must look at the reality beneath this all: The executive and legislative branches are constantly in an ideological struggle for power; The more representation each has the greater the possibility they can enact their ideology in lawmaking, policies and government as a whole. Despite claims otherwise, each respective party does NOT want an equal representation in government because it impedes their ability to employ their ideals upon the populace at large.

Are their stances on these issues genuine? Maybe. But, in the case of abortion challenging a decision of the Supreme Court is a massive uphill battle and attempting to undermine it by amending the constitution by which it is bound is not only unlikely but a reckless abuse of government. But it is not as though they don't understand that either...

The constitution is not to give us rights, but to protect them from the government and to regulate them in many ways to prevent abuse and tyranny. Why would a ban against something belong in such a doctrine? It doesn't. Any amendment passed by the legislature pertaining to these issues would almost inevitably be overturned by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional in that they do not belong, let alone other aspects. They do this to light the fire and to get proponents of these measures out to vote because they want "their team" to win. But in these regards they likely never will or never intend to.

It is an implicit procedural statement - a call to arms, if you will - which uses the pre and post headlines to create their agenda to the people. They start the discussion with the proposal and motivate those not otherwise motivated by their inevitable failure(s). If you look at the timing of these measures they're often during critical campaigns just prior to elections and for obvious reasons.

The same can be said about the "terrorist" threat level fluctuations post-9/11 in the 2004 elections. It's all a struggle for power and the real victims are the American people, even if many don't realize it. We don't live in a country where one ideology reigns supreme or is even intended to. Yet that's what all of this is about - supremacy - and the same people who wish their ideology is "the one" probably, if not definitely, condemn totalitarian countries like North Korea, Iran, Iraq, China and arguably Russia and Venezuela. They don't like or support these countries and yet their overall ideological desires parallel those of the aforementioned: One dimensional or disproportionate representation. Odds are they don't realize their hypocrisy or don't even are and that is one of the greatest tragedies existing within society today.

If you think it's bad now...wait until these hard fiscal times really start to have an impact.

William R. Connor (Short Story)

Perhaps I should introduce myself, I am a man of many anecdotes; Simple and sharp, cunning, wholesome or at least that's who the world sees. This is who I want to be. The simple shake of a hand, a wink of an eye-confidence exudes from gestures. Bright clothes, a wide smile, all is well in my world and the radiance sprays out like sun bursts through an entire room.

"Hey Bill's here! Howya doin today Bill?"
"Over-worked and under-paid" I quip and he "Hears that."

Oh how anecdotal.

Warning: Radiation may have undesirable side-effects and in some extreme cases cause death.

I spend my days making small talk with every John or Jane Doe that will listen. People love Bill, I...love Bill. He's a mans man and he cares about peoples petty complaints and whining and not one has a worry in the world about pro-rated sessions or expensive professional opinions.

He's god-sent, they swear!

But the Cinderella story of pseudo-happiness and misery collide Monday through Friday at 4:30pm and 2pm on Saturday. Bill is no longer enchanting, but he's William: Unflattering, mentally fatigued and alone. His best friend is a floor to ceiling mirror where he practices his best Bill routines. Second best is a VCR he uses to record late-night TV talk shows. It's a dream, unattainable.

Business hours pump life into the world like a heart racing on adrenaline- providing food for lonesome lips which speak only to the air around otherwise. Put on your best suit and captivate the world; Jack of all trades. Face their complains and grievances from the small to the still close enough to the surface to not be too personal.

I have all the answers and say all the right things. They wish they were me, pick at my brain over cup of coffee. But I never talk about myself because theres nothing to say and I have no answers.

Just uphill battles.
Just stock piles of empty calender pages from the months that have passed, just waiting for time- my time - to cease.

Here's Bill strolling into the office with his card board wrapped latte from Starbucks.

I'm wishing it was laced with cyanide, maybe just tainted with some kind of cleaner. It's a win/win situation: I die or live to receive a hefty settlement. I'm a believer in money buying happiness and I know she'd see me in a new light when I wear a bigger bank account.

Mark off another day.

I fall asleep on thoughts of her pristine, white wedding dress as she seems to float toward me. She vows to never leave me, only in death and I dream of her perfection carpooling the kids around, living the perfect life. This repeats itself on a nightly basis and it never gets old.

But to her I am neither Bill nor William, but an apparition at worst, a smile in the morning at best, maybe a mouthed good morning. I am but another face in the flow of the work day, I am alone and afraid. She melts me inside and I haven't a word to say.

My heart pounds and my body begs me to try, but I'm imprisoned by fear and cannot escape.

She's all you could ask for as a man: Short, maybe five-foot, black hair long enough to reach her buttocks, brown eyes and olive skin, her face is full and round, her breasts large and heavy enough to hang well below the sternum. She's ready for my children with her kangaroo pouch at her abdomen which protrudes from her pants.

She is all that I adore.

But I am only a spectator with a side-line view and she still seems far away.

I scold myself under my breath with my lonely eyes fastened to the sidewalk below. Another day passes, time is not on my side. My life is a broken record repeating the saddest part of the saddest song...