Malice In Blunderland

Don't you wish you had a job like mine? All you have to do is think up a certain number of words! Plus, you can repeat words! And they don't even have to be true! ~ Dave Barry

Those who know me are aware of my penchant for finding humor in the . I’m not sure what it is in my psyche that makes me that way; it’s just the way I am. It’s not something I work at. 

As much as I may laugh, I’m also tuned in to my deeper emotions. I’m a passionate guy. I’m compassionate. I’m not afraid to cry. I guess I’m a bit complex, though I’m sure I don’t appear that way to those who don’t know the real me. 

My wife and I will celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary at the end of this month. We’ve been together for nearly 41 years altogether. My wife knows the real me! 

I’ve heard it said that the way we act when we’re at home is who we really are. I think that’s probably pretty accurate. The masks come off when we’re at home, when the performance is over; when the spotlights are turned off and the theater is empty. 

Think about that. If you’re honest with yourself, I believe you’ll find it to be true. 

Speaking of masks and performances, have you watched any of the theater that is the Republican Primary? Or have you watched as the White House maneuvers behind closed doors, performing their magic act, slowly diminishing the freedoms that have defined us as a nation for some 236 years? 

I’m not a big fan of politics or politicians. I view politics as a necessary evil. Politicians I can do without. I claim no particular political affiliation, but to anyone who insists on putting me in a box, I always say I'm a moderately conservative hippie Libertarian with a half twist. That generally dissuades further conversation. It scares people! 

I find the whole political thing rather boring, stuffy and for the most part, insincere. But for some reason, I’ve been captivated by this year’s Republican Primary; perhaps because there’s so much at stake in the upcoming presidential election. 

I’ve read George Orwell’s, "1984" a couple of times, and Aldous Huxley’s, "Brave New World" scared the bejesus out of me. I have no desire to live in that fashion, nor do I wish to see my children and grandchildren become slaves to a government run amuck. 

I don’t pretend to have the answers, but the problem is palpable. 

I watched a little of the Super Tuesday recap on FOX News last week. The main thing I gleaned from watching as each candidate made his speech to his little group of hangers-on was the total absurdity of the whole process. 

The candidate stands there vomiting his mindless rhetoric to a group of toadies who are already totally sold out to his cause while his family and closest, most loyal sycophants stand behind him vying for face time on national TV, applauding wildly and cheering; their vacant little heads bobbing up and down in agreement with every quasi-cogent point that dribbles out of their heart-throb’s double-dealing mouth. 

Republican - Democrat - Libertarian - Independent - it doesn't really seem to matter! When all is said and done and the election is long behind us, it’ll just be more of the same. Further justification to despise the entire political process! 

On the day prior to the Super Tuesday election, Patch ran a piece entitled Check out some of the comments posted by Patch readers. It should give you a good laugh. It amazes me how blinded and jaded people become once they’ve committed themselves to one particular political ideology. It seems their capacity to think for themselves, to produce even one cogent thought, is obliterated. 

As with many so-called political discussions, this forum, which could have been utilized for the intelligent, beneficial exchange of ideas, turned into nothing more than a peeing contest rife with insolence and name-calling. 

The same is true of the articles run on the on-going strife over . I understand that on both sides of the issue but why is it necessary for one side to demonize the other? Make your point! Defend it! Engage in intelligent, productive debate! And stop acting like children! 

And then there are those who feel it necessary to stoop to committing on the island [on ] because they lack the mental capabilities to state their position intellectually. 

If you clowns get your jollies by sneaking around by boat in the dead of night to mount your childish attacks, you may be interested in joining the Navy Seals; I hear they're looking for new recruits. But it’s doubtful they’d be interested in your kind. They don’t accept cowards! 

As I said, I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m not that smart. I subscribe to The New Yorker just for the cartoons [some of which I don’t understand]. 

But I see this country sliding down into the abyss; a dark, scary place I don’t recognize. A place where the end justifies the means; where it’s okay to do whatever it takes to win, regardless of whether it’s right or not. 

A place where men vomit up what the masses want to hear in order to achieve their political goals; a place where principle plays second fiddle; a place where it’s all about the me; where the rights of the many are trampled underfoot for the rights of the few. 

Come on people! We’re better than this!

Make it a great week! 

Bob Havey is an Easton-based freelance writer and a consummate trouble-maker. His column, The Way I See It, runs every other Wednesday on Norton Patch.