FEAR FACTOR

More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! More powerful than any elected official! Able to change the future with the spoken or printed word! Look, on the internet, on the television, on the radio, in the newspaper- it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman, no… it’s the MEDIA!!!! Most will agree, I think, that it’s not the President, nor is it congress or even the Supreme Court who hold the greatest influence on our nation. Yes, ultimately these people will govern our land, but it is the media who hold the power to truly change the course of the future (by dictating to the voting public who to elect to those offices). The media tells us what to wear, what to eat, what is “in” and what is “out”. Our expectations of how much is “too much” to pay for gasoline or what makes for a successful day on Wall Street. The media decided early on that Barak Obama would be our next president. Watch any news show, read most any newspaper or magazine and you will find the assumption that it is already a done deal. In the bag. I’m sure Michelle has already contracted with her design team for her inaugural ball gown. She probably already has the window measurements of the White House and will soon be ordering new drapes and china. I had an interesting conversation with my boss the other day, and he thinks that McCain is going to pull it off. My shock and surprise at his statement just confirmed that I, too, have been brainwashed by the media to be resigned to the fact that O will probably be elected. The two magazines that I read weekly are Time and Newsweek- both of which should be relegated to the status of the Sears catalog (for you city folk, that’s what country folk used for personal hygiene products in the days of the outhouse). But I digress. Both these magazines are so flaming liberal, and of course have pretty much elected him all by themselves. Now here we are 12 days out from the election, and the media have come up with a new scare tactic that seems “safe” and nonbiased. Long lines at the polls. Oh my goodness. Now we have millions of Americans who have had it drilled into their heads that Obama is leading, it’s not even close any more, and now not only are we inundated with how much money the NRC has spent on the Palines’ wardrobes (who cares?), now we are being told to expect six to eight-hour waits at the polls. This is sure to discourage McCain voters to stay home in their warm fuzzy house-robes and drink coffee instead of waiting for hours in the (many places) cold weather to cast their vote for a man who hasn’t a snowflake’s chance in Hades to win anyway. Right? Supposedly even the early-voting polls are experiencing one to three-hour waits. Like many other tactics, it is a very cleverly-disguised shot aimed at a large group of McCain supporters- the older generation. I my own personal old self would find it difficult to stand in line for longer than an hour (and wouldn’t be very patient even then!), so I don’t imagine there are many of the really older generation who would be willing or even able to stand in line for that long. So, in predicting excruciatingly long waits, the media are guaranteeing that many McCain voters will be discouraged from voting. Call it the Fear Factor. What a brilliant strategy. Let’s hope the old folks will prove them wrong and get up early, eat their Wheaties, grab their ear muffs and head on out to the polls. Maybe take their folding lawn chairs and a good book. Or Newsweek and TIME magazine. I’m sure there will be Porta Potty stops along the way.

On a much more brighter note, I had the pleasure of sharing a dinner table at the Subway last night with an old friend, whom I have become reacquainted with. He was actually probably my very first next-door-neighbor. My parents rented a house next door to his, and that’s where they were living when I was born. We grew up in a small town, though it had been many years since I had seen him. A while back I saw him at church, and now we usually chat for a few minutes before or after the service on Sundays. Between jobs last night, I ran in to Subway for a sandwich, and found him just sitting down for dinner. I invited myself to join him, and we had a really nice visit. It was a wonderful change to have a real, live, adult conversation with someone other than Whitney. Of course we talked about much the same thing as I have written about above, the political challenges we are facing, and decided that he and I need to run the country and straighten things out. I think I’ll order some campaign buttons and bumper stickers. Now if we could just get the media on our side.