Conventionally Speaking

I'm not one who usually aligns himself with either one of the two major political parties (like there is a major difference between either one) but after witnessing this past weak's (too easy to pass up) convention, I was just about ready to sign up for a lifetime membership in the Michael Dukakis fan club. ("Yes honey, I've been Dukakarized.") In face of some serious economic troubles, I wonder how one party can attempt to frame itself as "pro-family" while labeling the other party as "anti-family." Even my even keeled ethical balance was exasperated by the repetitive mention of the words "family values." How can the party that through the years stated it is the party which wishes to keep the government out of the lives of the people put in its platform such sweeping language on its moralistic religious beliefs especially when it comes to the issue of abortion? Even the wishy washiest members of the audience could see a bit of hypocrisy in the Republican's words.

One having proclaimed Pat Buchanan as my favorite member of the McGlaughlin Group, I would now have to say Pat's speech at the convention almost single handedly (with a little help from his friends Ronald Reagan and Marily Quayle-yikes!) spurred me to want to vote for the other side; a protest vote I will call it. Buchanan proved he doesn't just play a lunatic on TV, he actually is one. No Pat, we shouldn't be proud of how "our" patriotic young "white" military force of men clubbed back that unruly, angry, "black" mob in L.A.- that sort of misses the point altogether.

Our alternative of course is putting Tipper Gore in the White House which doesn't seem like much of an option. That it is probably the better choice says a lot about our current state of affairs.

FUN FACTS

If Rush's Alex Lifeson would have been a member of Styx, the 70's would have been an entirely different decade.

In a poll of elementary school girls, the professions of "nurse" and "teacher" remained the most popular choices for possible careers. Surprisingly, in third place was the dream to be the tambourine player for the Fall.

Nowhere on any Bachman Turner Overdrive records will you hear the words "deep thought" spoken or sung.