No Honorable Mention For Conventions

Each morning I wake up and read the latest news from back home in Montana, here in Arizona, and nation- and world-wide. In world news, it is usually full of man's inhumanity to man. I thought perhaps that our own USA political conventions might be upbeat and inspiring, but they only further the cause of inhumanity. I do not have enough fingers, toes, or other appendages to count the number of times each political party speaker denounces, degrades, and defiles the character of the candidates of of the opposing party.

Perhaps this is a testament to the competitive nature of our world. Darwinian politics of the fittest. Right wing and left wing of one big bird --- a sick bird...an "ill eagle" (illegal). That's right, I said it and I wrote it. We are self-mutilating. It is disgusting and awful to watch. The worst part is to see the chanting, mouth-foaming, bug-eyed delegates waving banners like the blinders to reality.

To hear them tell it, Bush is a Nazi and Kerry is a Communist. With choices like that, how can I, as an open-minded intelligent independent, really choose between those two options? We need more than two big parties who call themselves donkies and elephants. That's right, I said it and I wrote it. Time to dilute the potency of these two juggernaut parties that rule our land like two spoiled princes. We are more of a monarchy than we like to believe. Don't believe me? Try to run for high political office as an independent. Tell me how much support (financial and otherwise) that you get, no matter how ideal a leader you are or how excellent your ideas may be.

The USA is polarized. That's what we hear on the news. Yes, it is polarized. I know this because I'm an amateur photographer and I have more than one polarizer filters for my lenses. A polarizer only allows certain kinds of light to enter the camera and rejects all other kinds of light. It makes for a more saturated and colorful photo. I like polarizer filters. However, when it comes to politics, polarization means a rosey picture is seen and all other views are rejected. This sounds a lot like totalitarianism or facism to me than it does democracy. Actually, the polarization we hear about is really meant to depict attraction to positive and negative poles, such as in electromagnetism. Think of north and south pole of the earth. All the Republicans (conservatives) at the north pole and all the Democrats (liberals) at the south pole...and a whole lot of disenfranchised fed up pissed off people along the equator.

When the majority of people actually vote in a presidential election, let me know. That's when I'll know we have a system in place that allows for real candidates to be elected rather than foamboard figureheads who spew endless partisan hatespeak against their fellow countryfolk.

Who will win this election? Either an elephant or a donkey. What a deal!