In a Word

I am a recovering political junkie. Over the past eight years, I’ve managed to tame my addiction. What with the depressing partisan politics and the disgusting media bias to the left, what’s a girl to do? Add this year’s lackluster slate of candidates. Hillary and Edwards are wealthy wouldbe socialists. Obama is untried and naïve when it comes to foreign policy. On the other side, Romney is too polished; Rudy, too possibly tainted (unless he runs against Hillary); Paul, too nutty. Thompson lacks energy and is into unfortunate suitcase metaphors, and McCain and Huckabee can’t win. That being said I do have my favorites.

Still, yesterday I had the NH primary news on all day, as a kind of backdrop. And the word that kept cropping up was change. I would hear it in passing as I went about my business. Seems that change is the word of moment. Hearing it repeated like a mantra, I thought of the parallel. Americans want change, the media tell us. So they turn out in droves to vote for the candidate they think will effect that change.

Not so far away is another country where the people want change ever so much more desperately than Americans. They, too, can vote, and they vote in droves… or face the consequences. However, they can only vote for the status quo. That’s like one of those if a tree falls in the forest riddles. If you have to vote and can only vote for one party is the vote heard? Regardless, in that country simply wearing the word change on your body will get you hauled off and detained, if not arrested.

Bear that thought in mind next time you see the media wringing their hands about the unhappiness of the American people.