Elections today are not run or won on substance, but rather on sound bites and tabloid journalism. Intelligent, thinking un- apathetic people represent a small minority in the election process, and our intelligence is insulted by almost every campaign in recent years.Even candidates that have substance fall into the trap of running on these terms.
I've noticed a strange paradox in recent years as it relates to my business that I think can be applied towards the political process as well. That would be that consumers and voters are more empowered today than they have ever been, with the information age as it is, but are making choices that are as poor or poorer than they ever have, because there are people that do know how to manipulate the "information" that is available to us.For example, I often see people that do "research" they call it before making a buying choice, but the research they often do is more like just falling for a sales pitch via the internet,print ads,advice from some sales clerk at "Generic-Mart" or even consumer magazines that claim to offer unbiased opinions, but are often so far off base as to be laughable. Selling a candidate is really the same nowadays as selling dish soap or soft drinks, repetition of sound bites always works in advertising.

I think any five year old could watch the news today and decide that to bring the country to a halt, all they would need would be about one hundred guys with rifles.

In response to candidates/politicians who are saying something real--one Representative from Ohio, Dennis Kucinich, is very outspoken in the opposition to Pres. Bush's war effort, and voted against the bill giving him pre-approval. Dennis was once Mayor of Cleveland, and has been called all sorts of things from "Dennis the Menace" to "Boy Mayor"(Due to his youth when he was mayor of Cleveland) because he has never been afraid to voice his opinions, and he truly cares about the people he represents. When a local hospital wanted to close down or sell to one of the "Mother Ship" hospital corporations, he fought against it and worked out a deal with a small medical group to keep the hospital open, as it was in a low-income area of the city.

There are a few others who are in opposition to the war effort, but I'm afraid not many.

But 5 year olds are still in Kindergarten, and they know how to get along and stuff better than most countries do.
Nathen, your observation also brings to mind a thought I had about the sniper shootings in Maryland. I have been assuming all along that this is some lonewolf nutcase
running around doing this.However, how scary would it be if it were the latest group of Osama's lemmings pulling off this horrific crime?

<center><FONT COLOR="#000080">--- Edited 1 times, lastly by Larry on Oct 14, 2002 ---</FONT></center>

I just watch the news sometimes and figure "How stupid is that", I mean the airlines tell everyone that they can not stop bombs from being sent in checked bagage, it is sort of like Larry and I boxing and me telling him upfront that I am a sucker for a right jab.....Then we see the terror of people trying to buy gas and sent the message out to anyone who will watch.
Over and over we are opening ourselves up for attack, just like the American Naval guy that done the blueprints for the attack on Pearl Harbour,it was an exercise in what could happen, no one listened except a few warlords in Japan.
Iraq, might be a problem, but I once had a friend who told me that the best defense was not to have anyone pissed off at you, I think she was right.

I sure hope they get the sniper. They are worried he could come as far south as us. Where he has shot at has been places I've driven at before. Scary...

My hubby's leaving this afternoon for the DC area--I told him not to buy gas!! I sure hope they catch this guy. So, they found a white van with rifles, a tarot card, a sniper's manual and a "Gihad in America" sign in it, but they say it's not connected to the sniper!?!?! <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/confused.gif" width=15 height=22>