We are just one cog in the wheel

It was very self satisfying to see an original poster (Pilot) spank a new poster named jasonbourne (with an "e") down to size. The poster, jasonbourne, did not like the idea of a Tejano Monument being erected at the statehouse to honor their descendants. He (jasonbourne) is entitled to his own opinion, but he let it be known that he had an agenda when he posted "They don't need a monument. They have an entire STATE!!!." People like to call Victorians" country hicks" but that does not keep us from reading between the lines. Pilot quickly picked up on this and dressed down the poster with some well chosen words .I've always said " you better have your ducks in a row, if you're going to do battle with a wordsmith."

I know I don't get out much but when I do I don't see all this political bickering that we do in our forum. I bet that I can still walk downtown nod, smile, and say hello to 20 people and 19 will respond accordingly. That other person was too busy texting. I know some individuals develop new personalities when they get behind a keyboard, but it doesn't have to be that way. I'm obviously opinionated or I wouldn't be writing a couple of blogs, but I'm the same person away from my keyboard. My religion has this ritual of shaking hands with people around you and saying the words" may peace be with you" but I've always suspected the sincerity of that message. I've always wondered if we would express the same feelings if I encountered the person who shook my hand at a different time and place. Would they shake my hand if they knew I was pro-choice and thought Governor Rick Perry's "Day of Prayer" coincided with his run for the presidency? If ideology can divide us, do we really mean" may peace be with you" or is it just, for the moment, and the remainder of the mass? It sounds cynical but I'm a person that hates superficial. Oops. That's an opening for Kyle..:-)

I think John Kennedy inspired Democrats and Republicans alike, but I didn't really get interested in politics until I heard a young Bill Clinton in Houston. We didn't intend to go to his political rally, but we were in downtown Houston, saw the crowd and decided to check it out. That silver tongue devil immediately got my wife's vote, but I really liked what he said about the economy and his plans to revive it. It was that Monday when I got to work and shared my experience with my coworkers that I found out how divided we were. I wasn't interested in politics until the 1992 election year and probably voted for George H.W. Bush over Michael Dukakis. I was already in my mid forties, but I was more interested in sports, music and other types of entertainment. If my coworkers hadn't been so adamant about their dislike for Bill Clinton,liberals and democrats, I probably would have never become a political junkie. I thank them for that and after my wife saw Obama getting kicked around by the right, she became more political astute. She now sits down and watches a few political shows but she still would rather watch “One Life to Live" and “Dancing with the Stars.

It's funny because it shows just how much the media plays in our lives. I was surprised at a poll that showed only 18% thought we should raise the debt limit. After two weeks of “debt ceiling" bombardment, the general public became educated, and now it's up to 38% that think we should raise the debt limit and 55% think we will suffer a serious economic impact if we don't. It's the media's job to educate, and it's ours to absorb that education because we're only one cog in the wheel.