A Curmudgeon's View

Yes, I have been silent for several days now, enjoying Sarah Palin's and John McCain's comedy(?) routines during their SNL appearances. I just loved Ben Affleck's brilliant send-up of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. Bill Maher's Real Time on HBO has been hilarious, not to mention Comedy Central's Chocolate News, Colbert Report and The Daily Show. Glenn Beck is off CNN and onto Fox (where he is one of their more centrist voices) and Lou Dobbs is still off his rocker. But what has fueled my indignation is the fact that 23% of Texans believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim. I am sure that many other states can boast(?) of similar ignorance, but Texas has often bragged of its education system and its enlightened stances on a myriad of subjects. Note that I have written the word "ignorance", not stupidity. Texans, as a whole, are far from stupid and those that I met in my four years there were anything but stupid. My point is not that something is incredibly wrong when this many folks believe fiction to be fact. The point is, what is wrong with being a Muslim? In my jaundiced view, being a Muslim is no different than being a believer in any of the many major or minor organized religions. So, I am appalled that someones actual or supposed religious beliefs are relevant or that it needs to be asked. A civilized society should be past superstition and myth and wholly focused on issues. Who one votes for should be a function of rationale thought, not ignorance, myths, fear or how many Joe the Plumbers or Ralph the Bus Drivers we have as our role models.

My Debate Hangover

I must admit that I am more concerned with Opus's impending doom than the outcome of any phony debates. The non-debate format and Jim Lehrer's lackluster moderator-ship gall me no end. The debates that were held under the auspices of the League of Women voters were much better than these farces staged by the Democrats and Republicans. Watching the pundits debate the debate after the debate was more illuminating than the actual debate! The talking heads whined and postured at least as much as John McCain did. Pat Buchanan was very entertaining and Chris Matthews was firing saliva all over the set! History tells us that in the 1960 Nixon-Kennedy debate, Nixon won on substance but Kennedy looked more presidential (what with Nixon's sweat, beard and used-car-salesman persona). McCain solidified his McNasty persona by being grouchy, rude, and condescending and refusing to look at Obama but once after the handshake. Obama appeared calmer and cooler. Sometimes, ala 1960, substance does not indicate the winner. Sometimes perception rules.

I must say that McCain surprised me with his overall performance, presenting himself better than I had expected. Obama appeared to let McCain off the hook several times by not hammering him on his numerous lies and stupid comments. In fact, a review of the fact checking sites and CNN's post debate analysis revels that McCain misspoke and distorted data far more than Obama did.

I so wish that Obama had pressured McCain into explaining how "Bomb Bomb Iran" shows leadership, diplomacy and good judgment. One last thing: what was McCain up to by his news bulletin on Ted Kennedy being in the hospital? By debate time, it had been determined that Kennedy had a minor reaction to a change in medication and had gone home.