I got up to read the paper this morning, like I do every morning while I eat my breakfast, and I couldn't help but laugh at the ignorance I was reading.  I always start with the sports, then the front page section, then I go to metro, and I finish the whole thing up by reading the readers comments.  This is the section where every day Joe's, anyone really, can write to the paper, and they print their letters.  I love politics as much as anyone, but I cant stand irrational people who can't make a logical argument without extremes.  A little while back, a Liberal wrote into the paper comparing President Bush to a cancer.  In rebuttle, in todays paper, a staunch republican wrote in chastizing the man for his comparison, saying that it was inappropriate.  Which it was (as much as I dont support Bush, I honestly believe that his administration sets out to do good things).  He had me, right up through the first paragraph, then came the second part of his argument.

In paragraph two of his rant against someone from the opposing side making inappropriate comments, this genious proves his point (unwittingly) by comparing Democrats to the leaders of Russia, North Korea, and Cuba.  In trying to make the other guy look silly for exagerating, he implies that Democrats are in fact Communists.  POT KETTLE BLACK!!!  I find it both reassuring and down right scary, that people this ignorant can not only vote but also have their comments put into general circulation.  I am seriously debating writing to the paper and seeing if I can throw my two cents into the conversation. 

The man asks why Democrats want high taxes and big Government?  A fair question I believe.  When you look at how screwed up Government systems are right now, I certainly wouldn't want them running my life.  He points out the flaws with Universal Health Care, an idea which I dont believe could ever work.  The doctor's in this country are the best in the world because they have to compete for their business, the government doesn't give it to them.  Though I must say I do like the Obama plan, giving free health care to all children, and then working with the companies to lower costs.  I digress a bit.  On these points the man made some very good arguments, and he pointed out the flaws in the democratic platform.

Now here are my questions to the man who feels so strongly in the Republican cause.  Why do you like low taxes, while spending exhorbatant amounts on an unpopular war in a society with traditions we cant break?  There is no victory in this war, no matter what anyone says, there just isn't.  The people we are fighting aren't the many many rational people of the Islamic faith, they are the extreme flank of their group who see it as their mandate from God to kill everyone that isn't like them.  If we kill one, ten more are required to take their place by their soceities traditions.  So tell me how we win this war.  Further more, cutting taxes while raising military spending leads to a greater defacite and devalues the already weak dollar even more.  Thus, are economy goes into a recession, like right now.  Why do you want eight more years of this?  We have to choose one way or the other.

And while we are thinking about this, why do we want a small government unless you are different, or have a thought that doesn't conform to their own.  Why is government supposed to stay out of your life, unless you are gay, or pregnant, and then it has no problem telling you what to do or think?  I am fine with the government staying out of my life, and I am neither pregnant (as it is anotaumically impossible for me to be) nor gay, but only if they are willing to stay completely out of it, and not legislate the way people think.  I didn't choose to be straight, just as I doubt that gay people chose to be gay.  And I dont support abortion, I think its horrible, but I dont think that it is my right to tell anyone else how they should or should not live their lifes.

As a moderate, it seems to me that Democrats want bigger government with less emphasis on the individual, while Republicans want less government and more control over the individual in society.  Both theories are seriously flawed.  The truth is, the best idea is found somewhere between the two parties.  In a modern day No Mans Land, where you risk your political career venturing into enemy territory.  These two men point out the flaw in all of America, the serious polarization of the entire country.  Bi-partisan, is in many ways, as bad a word as any in our modern political vocabulary. 

Perhaps, as we enter this election year, we could, just for a change, take the time to see more than the thirty second sound bite.  We could at the very least try to understand the complexities of running a country this large, this populous, this diverse.  We could try to see the opposing view point, not as the root of all evil, but as another way of looking at the problem.  Maybe then, we can fix what needs to be fixed, and start to try to heal the serious divisions in our country.

Well here it is, another week down.  But at least some cool stuff has happened this week...which is a step up from the usual.  Chris and I traded a whole bunch of stuff in and got a new 360, so we can system link the two together and freakin rock out.  Two 360's to go with the two PS2's!!!

In the process of going thru stuff, we found a stack of rookie cards for some seriously kick ass hockey players.  I'm talking Martin Brodeur, Joe Sakic, and more...Studs.

The Royals signed a top flight Free Agent...for the first time since I was a baby!!  And they may not be done, so I may be dragging you people to a lot of baseball games...seeing as that is my passion.

I just finished my Abraham Lincoln book, all 750 pages of it.  It was kind of like Thanksgiving dinner, your always excited for it, but by the middle of the third helping you are wondering if you are going to die before you finish.  Well, I wasn't sure I would ever finish it...but alas, it is done and I have moved on.  In the time that finishing that book freed up, I am reading two books in its place. 

I am ready to have everyone in town for a little while, and I am really ready to go visit people.  Probably going to see Nate this weekend, and since I didn't get to see the girls this semester, I am definantly going to K-ville early next semester.  Sorry things didn't work out girls.  I miss you guys!!

I was on the internet looking at random videos, and some funny and awesome stuff stuck out to me:

If wrestlers would have done this when I was in High School I might have gone to more meets:  http://www.break.com/index/back-flip-wrestling-move.html 

This boxer gets knocked out in one punch, but the best part is that he doesn't ever realize it, hahaha: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/859676/ko_with_the_1st_punch/

This is one of the best soccer goals I have ever scene, though to be honest I never got into soccer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNj6VFaLCd0

And this kid is just freakin stupid, I mean, who jumps off a second story of a building on to a back stop:  http://www.break.com/index/crazy-kid-attempts-roof-jump-and-fails.html

Those were just some funny things I found...

I like the idea of editorial sections of the newspaper.  It’s a place where we can complain about all of the social wrongs of society without actually doing anything to change the underlying problem.  Sounds like a great idea.  There was one in today’s paper complaining about how the super liberal media skews the facts to show that American’s are bigoted racists.  Mind you the liberal media were the only ones skewing facts.  FOX news and other conservative media groups were never mentioned, because as anyone who watches the news can tell you, Bill O’Reilly is the real deal and he gives the cold hard facts without any agenda. 

It is hilarious to me that the editorial writer didn’t even notice that she was completely skewing the facts in favor of her own ideological perspectives in an article about skewing the facts for your own ideological perspectives.  And what kind of wonderful solution did this Pulitzer Prize worthy writer present as the solution?  Well solutions are for others I suppose, it’s much easier just to criticize than to solve.  No where in the article is there any solution presented on how to make news reports less bipartisan, no where will you find any solution to the growing problems of slanting opinions.  You will only find slanted opinions about slanting opinions.  The famous quote about throwing rocks in a glass house comes to mind. 

The sad thing is, outside of the sports section, this was the best part of our lovely newspaper.  No wonder no one reads those things any more.  What ever happened to reporting the good and the bad?  All the paper has today is death, war, war, death, tax evasion, court indictments, war, and death.  So I dutifully read the headlines and look for the one glimmer of hope in an otherwise terrifying read, and it comes in the sports section.  Not a typical place to find hope when you live in Kansas City, believe me.  We haven’t seen a real winner since 1985.  But at least in the sports section we can find some little glimmer of hope for a tomorrow that doesn’t involve killing, war, and bipartisan mutilation. 

Sure there are the hated Yankees that no one likes because they have more money than god, and yeah there are the Duke Blue Devils that no one likes because they constantly win, but those are exceptions to the rule.  No where else in the news these days are you going to find so many people rooting for the underdog.  No where else is an Appalachian State going to be so supported against a Michigan.  It is funny that people love the underdog in sports, but don’t translate that to the real world. 

And before anyone reads this and tries to make the cute observation that I am editorializing on editorials, I already made that connection…but at least I can be a moderate and realize that both sides are jaded and it is time to give the credit where all credit is due, not just some of it.  We shouldn’t villainies the Christian right, and we shouldn’t demonize the Liberal left.  What we should do is look for that happy place in the middle where the true America actually sits. 

Well, I guess that’s about enough ranting for one day…sorry if you made it this far and were seriously disappointed.