I don’t really feel like writing this column. Please consider whether you want to keep reading at this point. Honestly, you should probably just walk away. Go read Foley again, he doesn’t take weeks off.
Anyway, I’m morally obligated to spit out 600 words to Foley cause I told him I would, so this is them. Ponder the Thought does not offer refunds, it’s a simple love it or leave it policy.
I’d like to write about the US Senate race but if I mention any Republican connected to a former president named Trump there is a certain group of the population that will think I’m intent on overthrowing the government. On the other hand, there is an opposing group that thinks any mention of Donald Trump without mentioning he can walk on water is just pure blasphemy.
These groups of people don’t work, eat or sleep. They wait at their social media connected keyboards and pounce at the mention of the name. It’s their purpose in life I suppose.
At the same time, there’s a few readers who are also Keyboard Cowboys that think it’s rude to point out that President Biden has signs of advanced aging, despite the actual signs of advanced aging. Anyway, we’re a mess and I’ve cared about presidential politics since I hung a George Bush sign in my apartment 35 years ago, but I’m sure caring a lot less anymore.
The whole world has got me in quite a conundrum of don’t really care.
To cheer myself up this weekend, I went to a Royals game. My Lord, what bad baseball. Listen, I’m no baseball savant but this is a badly managed team. The only good thing about Royals baseball again is that there are only about 10,000 people at each game, so it’s back to easy tickets and easy in and out. I miss the Royals baseball from 2014-15, but not the crowded ballparks and night club party atmosphere that would break out from time to time.
I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I sure could go for a president that is less than 80 years old and kind of a middle ground policy kind of guy or gal.
This wishful thinking reminds me that my grandfather used to say, “might as well wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which one gets full first.”
Continuing with the negative vibes, the state campaigns in the area have featured loads of negative flyers courtesy of political action committees and the United States Postal Service. It’s gotten to be rather blasé’, ho hum when you get a flyer that tells you how evil somebody running for state senate or state representative is.
Interesting tidbit I learned from a state senate candidate last week. Many and most of these mailers or flyers that go out are not even approved or known to be in the works by the candidates that they are done to benefit. More often than not, political action committees have chosen the candidate that best benefits their singular interest, and they throw their money at tearing down their opponent, without even telling the person that they support.
Even worse is the crossover money that is thrown in the primaries. Democrat operatives will throw money at a Republican candidate cause because they are more vulnerable to be beaten in the general election, and Republicans do the same thing to get weaker Democrat opponents.
My advice? Throw all junk mail political flyers in a firepit, light fire, crack open a beer and try not to think about how crooked politics are. Repeat as flyer and beer inventory allows.
(Guy Speckman can be reached at gspeckman@me.com or managing a raging fire in his firepit)