Reason to revere life in Italy.

Most Americans, I suspect, are rather fickle when it comes to politics. They really don’t educate themselves. About politics. They have better things to do, I guess. Or they just don’t care. They may go to the polls on election day. And vote Republican sometimes. And Democrat other times. Depending on their mood. Or on the hot button issue of the day. They really have no permeating political philosophy. And a few sound bites may influence their vote. That’s what I mean by being fickle. The national polls on which way voters are leaning can vary rather significantly from one month to the next. I’m a bit different. In that I’m a hard-liner. I don’t like politicians of any stripe. But I dislike Republicans far more than I dislike Democrats. I can’t remember the last time I voted for a Republican. Because my political views are rather entrenched. Many times, I’d prefer voting for a socialist or even a communist. If only they were on the ballot. So in the realm of American politics, the pollsters probably would cast me as independent. I like Obama. And no doubt I’ll vote for him in 2012. Chances are, I’ll vote for a straight Democrat ticket. Not because I’m enamored with Democrats. It’s more a case of me despising Republicans. Especially those of the Tea Party ilk. The ultra-conservatives. The lunatic fringe. I suppose that I could choose to pretty much ignore the American political scene. Because I’m gonna be living half of the year outside of the country. I may be more in touch with Italian politics. Which may not be all that much better than American politics. Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and his party may be the equivalent of American Republicans. Worthless scum-bags. But maybe it’s easier for me to distance myself from the Berlusconis. Because I’m not Italian. I’m a foreigner in Italy. But still, I feel welcome. And at ease. Maybe even more so than in America. Maybe it helps that I don’t speak or understand the Italian language. I can live there without having to listen to the political bullshit. Instead, I observe the beauty of the people and the land. And it’s where my true love lives. Yes, I have ample reason to revere life in Italy. –Jim Broede