...one of the Stepford wives.

Interesting. How a politician is packaged these days. Take Sarah Palin, aka the Barracuda. The moose hunter. The Alaskan. A woman with glasses. Looks a little like a librarian. But when she opens her mouth, seems like she doesn't have much book learning. Actually, she sounds rather nonsensical. A bit like a programmed robot. But her mechanical brain has gone hay-wire. Maybe that's why she often sounds incoherent. But there's something likeable about her. Like a cute little puppy. Albeit, empty-headed. But still, she's being sold to us as a potentially sterling leader of the free world. A vice president of the United States. With a good chance that if elected, she'll some day become president. The first woman to hold the lofty office. Here, we once thought it'd be Hillary Clinton. Trained for the job as First Lady for 8 years. A feisty little woman with a real brain. Instead, it may be one of the Stepford wives that takes charge. --Jim Broede

Almost like being on vacation.

I'm thinking about taking a little winter vacation. In Europe. Probably Italy. But I'm not sure about it. Because the value of the American dollar keeps dropping. I mean it's worth only half of what it was a few years ago. A sign that our economy is sick. For lots of reasons. Not the least being that American-style capitalism ain't working. Anyway, I'm taking a wait-and-see approach about that vacation. Not planning or thinking too far ahead. I'm in a nice routine. Living one day at a time. I've been doing that for almost a year now. Ever since I fell in love. Yes, every day I have my love to get me by. And in that sense, every day is special. Bliss. Joy. Almost like being on vacation. --Jim Broede

...makes me feel stupid.

I have to admit, it bothers my conscience sometimes to hurl insults at people. But I'm not bothered so much when I insult Sarah Palin and John McCain. That's because they are masters at insult politics. So, it's just a whole lot of fun trying to out-insult the master insulters. It becomes a game. That's the way politics work. I know it's stupid. But seems to me that's a requirement if one wants to be a politician. One must be stupid. So, if I am to understand what makes a politician tick, I must try to be stupid. So I'm trying. And believe me, this makes me feel stupid. Very stupid. As stupid as I can become. But it makes me feel like a politician. At least for a moment. Until I decide to become a decent and intelligent human being again. --Jim

A reminder: I'm in love.

It's the 5th inning. The middle of the game. And the Cubs are losing 2-0. They've had scoring opportunities. But haven't cashed in. They can't get a clutch hit. A hit that drives in runs when they really need it. If they lose tonight, it's all over. We'll have to wait until next season. So, with what time is left, I'm gonna try to psych the Cubs to victory. To see if I can influence the baseball gods. Let's see what happens. I'm trying to create an aura. Good vibes, one might say. I've had bad feelings about the play-offs right from the beginning. Didn't feel optimistic. But hey, what if I try to think positively? Thinking. Thinking. Thinking. That maybe...no, not maybe...but rather that the Cubs WILL turn the tide. And gather momentum. And get into a winning groove. Because I'm gonna will it. Now and then, I'll go to the scoreboard and the play by play. To determine if the momentum is changing. Maybe this is something I can't influence. I can't control. Unless, of course, life is merely a dream. In which case, outcomes can be altered. I just have to will it. It's like my love relationship. I've willed it, so to speak. I believed it. Right from the beginning. I'm in love with someone. But with the Cubs I've had doubts. Because I think, I guess, that their fate is beyond my control. But with this love relationship, I have some degree of control. Especially, if I believe. All right. Now I am going to try to start to believe in the Cubs winning this game. I'm willing it. Maybe this will put my theory to a test. And maybe it's not going to be enough. Because maybe I don't believe strongly enough. It's like one can't walk on water unless one really believes one can do it. Beyond an iota of doubt. Well, it's not working. Just went to the scoreboard and play by play. And now the Cubs are losing 3-0, and Los Angeles has still another scoring threat going. I think the Cubs have lost faith. And maybe that's what I am doing, too. Neither one of us have adequate faith. The team or me. But that doesn't stop me from dreaming. That some how, some way, the Cubs will find a way to win. Because I am playing god. And I am trying to send the proper vibes to the players. To get so pissed that they say enough is enough. And they fight back. They become determined. As if it's almost a life and death situation. They have to win. And they must keep saying, 'I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.' Like in that little childhood story my mother would read to me titled, 'The Little Engine that Could.' Maybe tonight it's not enough for just me to believe. The players have to, too. Anyway, only 4 innings to go. And the Cubs haven't even scored a run yet. Not a good sign. But still, it isn't over until it's over.

It's now the bottom of the 6th inning. And the Cubs are still losing 3-0. So only 3 innings left to make a comeback. I want the comeback. I want the victory. But maybe I don't want it hard enough. I don't believe in the Cubs nearly as much as I believe in love. I guess I have my priorities. I can't have everything. If I have to choose, I'll choose love. But if I'm god, I want it all. I want everything. Only thing is, god ain't gonna allow that. God is telling me don't be a selfish ingrate.

The Cubs get 2 runners on in the 7th, and the tying run is at the plate. A fly to deep center. But it's caught. So much for that. Only 2 innings left, and we haven't scored a run yet. Looks bad. But we gotta have faith. We gotta believe. We're gonna pull this out yet. The baseball gods are gonna take us all the way to the World Series. In dramatic fashion. That's what I want. That's what I gotta believe.

Well, the Cubs get a run in the 8th inning, to cut the Los Angeles lead to 3-1. But the Cubs leave a runner stranded. And so it'll come down to the 9th inning. Do or die. Now's the time to believe. Time to turn the tide in this whole series. Here and now.

It's over. The Cubs go down in order in the 9th inning. There's joy in Los Angeles. And sadness in Chicago. Yes, the Cubs will have to wait another year. But still, I'm happy. It was a good season. In that the Cubs won more games than any team in the National League. They played good baseball. Except in the playoffs. Getting swept by Los Angeles. Anyway, I remind myself that I am in love. With life. With someone. Can't really ask for more than that. --Jim Broede

How we choose our leaders.

Sarah Palin is being held to an extremely low standard. Some conservatives, for instance, are just happy that she didn't make s complete idiot of herself in the vice presidential debate with Joe Biden. Doesn't matter that she acted like an imbecile or a moron. In fact, that's really better than they expected. On that basis, it's concluded by at least a handful of happy conservatives that Palin did all right. Better than expected. And so, they'll vote for the John McCain-Palin ticket. In other words, in their opinion, Palin is qualified to some day be president of the USA because she isn't an idiot. Only an imbecile or moron. Yes, folks, this is what America has come to. This is how we choose our leaders. --Jim Broede

America had gone to hell.

Oh, my gawd. I woke up this morning after a horrible nightmare within a nightmare. I'm still shaking. The John McCain-Sarah Palin ticket won the election. And McCain died. Yes. Palin became president. America had gone from George Bush to McCain to Palin. America had gone to hell. --Jim Broede

...in our search for the good life.

I want the good life. Without having to make money. Lots of money, that is. Just a tidy little sum. All I need are a few basics. A decent education. So that I can exercise my mind. Good health care. So I can exercise my body. A shelter. And it doesn't have to be fancy. A loving relationship, too. I don't have to be monitarily rich to be happy. The basics and a bit of leisure time. That's all it takes. I don't have to be a fat cat hauling in oodles of money on Wall Street, or on Main street, for that matter. So, that's what I want. And I suspect that many, many in the middle class would settle for essentially the same. As an American, I want the government to make this sort of existence possible. And that probably requires less of a gap between the rich and the poor. A better distribution of wealth. That can be achieved, in part, by higher taxes on the rich. By putting some limits on profits. Yes, it may require some amount of socialism blended with capitalism. Yes, I want a sense of decency and fairness to prevail in America and in the world. We don't have that under the present capitalist system. We're allowing too much exploitation. Too much extremism. Politically. Economically. Socially. Of course, what I am proposing may seem extreme. To the capitalist. But I guess that's the nature of change. I want change that some day will no longer seem extreme. I, for one, would have no difficulty adjusting to it. And I suspect that would go for most of us in our search for the good life. --Jim Broede