Cleaning up the Mess

While watching last nights debate all I could think was, "wow, what a train wreck!" Like all accidents I just stared in disbelief. I lost interest a bit (as I naturally do), but even with my self-diagnosed ADHD, I observed carefully and found the reason for my repulsion. Something was smelled funny about this debate, or maybe I am just a naive idealist that thinks that these displays of our leaders intellectual prowess would show a level of refinement and class. Ok, you're right. This is politics. I'm naive.

National polls reflect that Senator Obama won the debate, and I agree but it was no knockout. If these two combatants were pugilists, they both came out bloodied, but not wounded, just lots of scuffs and scratches from grazed skin; lots of swinging and whiffing all over the place. Both Obama nor McCain had any clean connections to the issues or each other. Their verbal sparring was likened to kindergartners telling on each other between tears and whimpers. Get to the point...

Senator Obama's win could be attributed to either opponents disqualification of judges decision. Why? Because it was horribly moderated and no etiquette or order was enforced (Jim Lehrer, you should be ashamed of yourself). Senator McCain's was allowed to repeatedly rampage through segments with obnoxious over-talking and Senator Obama was defensive and apprehensive.

Neither candidate should take full fault for their behavior. Mr. Lehrer was the catalyst, setting an adversarial tone, instigating like the lunch room gossip girl. As a moderator he failed to progress the event. Lehrer made the biggest mistake of walking two large dogs, he let the slack off of the leash, they tugged free and off to the races they went. The man couldn't even transition to the next lead question because of the rudeness of McCain, and the insistence of Obama to respond to it. Lehrer didn't hold a balanced scale, he dropped it.

My rant on Lehrer notwithstanding, I also found myself irritated by the repeated phrases of frustration of Obama. I admit, I expected more poise from the senator, but in the hostile environment he was found flustered. He began his rebuttals with a stuttered "Look" and "Listen", visibly exasperated by McCain's forcefulness. To his advantage, his aggression peaked during his assault regarding McCain's errors in Iraq, but then plummeted after a few spars regarding Afghanistan.; he never regained control. In this sequence Obama deferred politely to the moderator, who fumbled the mantle of order and McCain snatched it back again.

"Look" I'm not bashing, "just saying."

McCain, was the passive-aggressive antagonist in this mess of a debate, was a ball of stiff emotion. He raised his brows in jest, smirked, sneered and snarled silently. He reminded me the Joker in the Arkham Asylum's geriatric ward. He was stiff but still witty and clever enough to bait Obama into fits of nodding and notepad scribbling. His offensive was dirty and had no class. He was the quintessential school yard bully, held back a few years; older, angrier and unsupervised. Lehrer, went from supervisor to spectator, with eye glazed over.

By the way: did you know that South Koreans are three inches taller than North Koreans?! Thanks McCain for an irrelevant biological comparison of two countries' people. You know a great deal about foreign policy! [sarcasm]

This was a scuffle that was over-billed. Actually, if I read the signs of the melodramatic political theater days prior to the debate, I would have known this farce of a face-off would be a letdown. Oh well, time to vacuum the dust of a unremarkably boring battle.

Clearing the Confusion?

I wasn't planning on posting an entry today. But, after checking my Gmail this afternoon, I had no choice but to share this. The title of this entry shares the title of the following passage that was emailed to me this afternoon (without attribution) and I deemed it very thought provoking. Then later on in the day, I read a blog with an unabriged version of these very same thoughts.

To those who intently following our most "defiled" democratic process, both poignant peices can stir anger, despair, shame or defiance, depending on who you support. I took the liberty to color-code the passage into "red" and "blue" to indicate the our awesomely inclusive two-party system and to differentiate the candidate(s) that represent them.

Read with an open heart and vote with an open mind.

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight...

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.'

* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate, representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach children about sexual predators, you are irresponsible and eroding the fiber of society.

* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.

* If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that hates America and advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

-Author Unknown

On the blog, many have applauded the author, as did I. But then, others had replied in strong opposition to his observation; not with substantial arguments against his claims, but citing other arbitrary instances and irrelevant accusations, distracting and diluting the issue at hand.

I, for one, agree with both the passage and the blog that there seems to be some "slight" disparity in the way we see our candidates. Am I angry? no. This is the world we live in. Whatever your take is, this election is going to be one for the ages.

A Case of the Sundays

It's another September Sunday afternoon in the Motor City and you know what that means...Detroit Lions football. Yes, it's time for us hapless homers to turn on the television and watch those delightful Detroit cats compete against a real football team, hoping to the heavens for a win. But wait, these are the Lions, even if they are on top they can, and will, find a way to lose. Trust me.

So those hopes immediately turn into horror, or disinterest as you simulate your own Lions match-up, Madden style. Or, if you are so fortunate (or unfortunate) to have a significant other in your midst, you succumb to her advances and she wins the war of the remote. I'm not too proficient at Madden (I'm one of those RPG/Adventure gamers) and I don't have a woman, so how do I compensate for the lack of bragging rights in the "black and blue division"?

Fantasy Football!

I am new to the phenomenon, myself. But I have already caught the fever. My team roster inlcudes a few of my favorites. So let's see what happens week 2.

Go Lions! Maybe...not!

Blogosphere Beginnings

So this is my foray into the “blogosphere.” I have interest in so many areas, but I used to scrawl my views and hues upon the wall of my own shell. Now, I’m opening up, peeking out and speaking up. To the untrained eye, I’m not too opinionated, but here, I will share my perspective on community, entertainment, poetry, sports, technology and even weigh in on the forbidden: politics and religion.

So join me as I come out of my shell; it should be an interesting journey together.

*Expect this blog be updated at least every weekend*