Dog Eat Dog, Dog Eats and That Doggone PJ

Oh my heavens! It's a dog eat dog political mess out there right now isn't it?

I've been dinking around in that political debate group. Trying to remain neutral for the most part, with an occasional good spirited jab at propaganda promoters, that simply can't be helped nor do I make an effort to do so. I've actually been skipping over a lot of the political hype and rhetoric because I recognize it for what it is, a bunch of hype and rhetoric.

My husband and I are a little distressed this week. The kids we have been taking to church with us for about four years have moved away and this morning was the first morning that they weren't telling us long winded stories and singing silly, scary Halloween songs to us on the way to church. For four years we were like a little family unit and it was like part of our family and part of our hearts were missing this morning. We are reminding ourselves that God is with them and they are God's children but it was a difficult morning. Knowing that this is the way it will be until further notice was no comfort. The little children I considered my adopted grandchildren are gone. No curly headed darling sitting in my lap, snuggling against my chest this morning as the choir sang. I was glad I would be in Children's Church rather than sitting in the service without the oldest one, it would have felt like the proverbial salt in a wound when I was already feeling so emotional about it.

I've been waiting for something to come along that I can sink my teeth into but it just hasn't materialized. The few blogs I frequent have been mostly unsatisfying, though Andy Cline at The Rhetorica Network has intrigued me with his entry: What should journalism try next?

I had been enjoying a little innocent banter with John Stone at Curbstone Critic but he seems to have gone a little goofy with his obsession with Vincent David Jericho. Out of his last fifteen postings six of them have been about Jericho. It seems when his coffee maker isn't flooding the countertop or Paris Hilton isn't making public appearances in negligees he has little else on his mind.

What's a person to do for a little thought provoking banter? It's either polls or unfounded claims of a right wing defense of Foley when no one has defended him at all. I'm pretty fed up with people lying and misrepresenting myself and other people.

I did have this thought which I posted as a reply there tonight:

In all honesty, we, all of us, need to move beyond painting each other in sound bytes. The thing is, we let the politicians and Media with a capital "M," divide us. I respect the few politicians who are trying to tone down the rhetoric a little bit. I think there are a few of us who enjoy the rhetoric as if it were a sporting event but do it tongue in cheek. There are some issues which deserve better than to be treated as a political game and the war in Iraq definitely applies. You know, if our two parties, in what has become a two party system can keep the people divided and free from real dialog then that two party system has nothing to fear. Have you noted that some people are now calling both parties by one moniker? "The Republicrats." Status Quo, and as one of my favorite Libertarians often says: "Have a government approved day!"

Of course, I'm referring to the swmolibertarian, known as The Libertarian Guy who has posted some interesting posts lately, see: If you're on the ballot, you deserve to be in the debates. and: Why this election is important..., but do remember, he's way too cool to actually represent any of us average, dull creatures around here. ;)

Tomorrow begins a new week. New adventures with Mother. New adventures with my grousing husband. New adventures with keeping up with myself and that pesky little allergy-ridden, old gray man of a terrier I've been loving for 15 years this month. Geesh, he mopes around these days, that is when he isn't sleeping or eating. Ah, a dog's life!

One last thing. The most interesting thing I've seen written in days was written by a moderate Democrat and my fellow contributor to this web log, PJ. Doggone it, I wish she'd put her thoughts together and get it posted right here on JackeHammer!