...how petty things have become.

Bill Ayers was a domestic terrorist, of sorts, in the 1960s. Now he's a university professor. And in 1997 he was named Citizen of the Year in Chicago. I never met Ayers. But I'm assuming he's a pretty nice guy. And if he were my neighbor, I wouldn't mind knowing him. And socializing with him. And I'd like to talk to him about how he's changed over the years. Sounds to me like he's a pretty interesting guy.

But to listen to the rants of John McCain and Sarah Palin, that wouldn't be a good idea. I wouldn't be a patriotic American if I became a friend of Bill Ayers. That might make me a terrorist-sympathizer, according to them. Yes, that's the kind of reasoning I'm hearing in the current presidential campaign. Barack Obama has been taken to task by McCain and Palin for being Ayers' neighbor and serving with Ayers on the board of directors of a charitable organization.

Yes, that's how petty things have become. --Jim Broede

His dream will be our nightmare.

I think John McCain thinks of his life as a melodrama. He's the hero. The guy who spent 5 years as a prisoner of war. But had the grit and determination to survive. To feel he was being a patriotic American. And then he went on to participate in making America a better place. By serving in the U.S. Senate. And now running for president. What a story. What a hero. And through this all, McCain sees himself as a maverick. Someone willing to buck the system. Willing to castigate his fellow senators. Doesn't matter whether they are Republicans or Democrats. Because he fancies himself to be independent in so many, many ways. Yes, the maverick. McCain likes that image. He covets it. He's his own man, or so he thinks. And McCain likes the idea that he's often been counted out. By the sideline observers. By the media. He wasn't supposed to have had a chance to win the Republican nomination for president. But lo and behold, he came on strong at the end. And captured the nomination. Because he didn't give up. That's the picture he wants to paint of his life. And now he wants the grandest prize of all. He's trailing in the polls by 10 points with only 3 weeks to go to the election. And McCain is saying that's exactly where he wants to be. Behind. Counted out. So he can come on strong at the end. And then he'll be known not only as a maverick. But the comeback kid. But I see John McCain in a different light. A politician with a gigantic ego. One who avoids addressing the real issues. One who has launcehd a hateful, negative campaign against his opponent. One who has picked as his running mate someone who is totally incompetent. Yes, if John McCain achieves his dream, it'll be our nightmare. --Jim Broede

My sweet dream.

John McCain is unbelievable. That makes him a liar. And a slimeball. Oh, he'd like us to think he's a maverick. An independent guy. Even willing to cuss out members of his own Republican party. Probably because he has a hot temper. And he has a gigantic ego to boot. And that means he's about next to the last person I'd want as our president. The last would be his running mate, Sarah Palin. They're both vile people. No scruples. Instead of addressing issues, they castigate their opponent, Barack Obama. Suggesting he's untrustworthy. That he's a friend of terrorists. They even have their surrogates calling him Barack Hussein Obama. Yes, that's his real name. But they do it to foment racism. To arouse the rabble. A little bit reminiscent of Hitler. The nice thing about all this is that McCain and Palin are trailing in the polls. But hey, they ain't giving up. Any more than Hitler gave up. The Germans were dumbed down by all the rhetoric . Maybe it'll happen in America some day. That would be my worst nightmare. But I have a dream, too. A sweet dream. America sees the light. And Obama becomes our first black president. --Jim Broede

I believe...beyond a doubt.

Faith. That's an interesting word. Lots of people believe in god based on faith. I'm not sure that I have faith. But I still believe. I guess it's because I want to believe. That's different than faith. I want to believe because I'm a romantic. I believe that an element of romance runs through life here on Earth. Yes, I believe in romance. In love. And I think it's a romantic notion to believe in god. In a Creator. Some super natural force. A god of love, I guess. I know beyond a doubt that love and romance exist. Because I feel it. I know it's real. I'm living it. Daily. So, I'm assuming this force is god. Not the god one finds in organized and orthodox religions. My god doesn't even require that one believe in god. One can be a true believer or an agnostic or an atheist. Doesn't matter. All one has to do is believe in love. And I do. Beyond a doubt. --Jim Broede

Following my destiny.

I decided today to drift back. Into the past. Like 100 years. To 1908. Now that's unusual for me. Especially in the past year or so. I've really lived more in the today than ever before. Not getting too far behind or ahead of myself. Savoring the moment. But I decided to indulge myself. For a few minutes. To imagine what it was like a long, long time ago. My father wouldn't be born yet for another 2 years. And my mother wouldn't climb out of the womb for another 6 years. So many things had to happen. Before they would by happenstance meet. And marry. And give birth to me. It just as easily could have never happened. If just one little thing went awry. They'd perhaps never have met. And I'd never had tasted life. And love. But it turned out well. For me, at least. So, I pretty much believe in destiny. That I was supposed to live. I think that's a romantic notion. Even the fact that I met my Jeanne. And fell in love. And the fact that we had many good and happy and loving years together. And then Jeanne died almost 2 years ago. Of Alzheimer's. Just one of those things. We all die. Sooner or later. But oh, the thrill of being alive. I thought I'd never love again. Not deeply. Like I did with Jeanne. But one never knows. Life unfolds in strange and mysterious ways. The unexpected happens. Here I am. Happy as a lark. And in love. With life. With someone special. I don't know where it will all lead. I prefer living one day at a time. Not spending too much time living in the past. Or in the future. Just today. This moment. Oh, I occasionally glimpse back into time. And I wonder a little bit about the future. But I find that today is the best time of all. Because I'm living it. Following my destiny. --Jim Broede

...ain't the nature of politics.

I'd like to see a politician running for president run a completely clean campaign some day. It won't happen, I know. But he/she could start by admitting that the opponent is well-qualified. And is a good American. But that they disagree only on some issues. And on many things, they agree. And the opponents would tell what they like about each other. More so than what they dislike. In fact, they might even say they'd consider putting his/her opponent in his/her cabinet. In other words, to take advantage of the opponent's expertise. The idea is to get above the fray. At least to some extent. Like John McCain might be able to salvage his losing campaign by announcing that he's tired of being a Republican. He'd rather declare that he's an independent. And that he'd just as soon dump Sarah Palin from the ticket. Because he made a bad choice. But now he'd like to correct the error of his way. I might even consider voting for McCain under those circumstances. Although, I'm more likely to stick with Barack Obama. I like Obama, in part, because he's been considerably less negative than McCain and Palin. Of course, he's been negative, too. But maybe only 33 percent negative. Compared to almost 100 percent negative for McCain and Palin in recent weeks. I guess most -- if not all -- politicians just figure they can't win by being honest. And by being nice and respectful of one's opponent. That just ain't the nature of politics. --Jim Broede

We're all part of the building crew.

A loving relationship is built one brick at a time. One brick a day, in a sense. So that it has a solid foundation. It's built from the ground up. I've just awakened from a dream. It's very early. Before daybreak. Saturday. Oct. 11. I can't remember all of the details. Only this message is loud and clear. Somebody from the spirit world. From another dimension. Was talking to me in this dream. This was the message I was supposed to catch. Build brick by brick. Just the way I've been doing since Oct. 25, 2007. This is the right way. Enjoy the construction. Build. Build. Build. And at the end of the day, sit back. And love. Love the progress. Look at the edifice. It is like building a church. A cathedral. That is the essence of building a loving relationship. One builds love the same way one would build a cathedral. It's a lifetime pursuit. A lifetime endeavor. In a sense, one is supposed to lose track of time. Place the single brick in the foundation. One at a time. And enjoy it all. It takes some labor. Maybe like Sisyphus pushing his rock up the hill. Only one should admire the progress. Sisyphus' mistake was that he didn't stop each day. He should have pushed slowly. And at the end of the day, he should have wedged the rock so it wouldn't roll back down. Take it one foot at a time. Sort of like one brick at a time. And if the hill was one mile long -- well, then he should have taken 5,280 days to complete the task. One foot at a time. One day at a time. A loving relationship isn't built overnight. It's built over a long time. Over a lifetime. Over many, many years. Maybe that is what we are supposed to be doing with our lives. Building. Building. Building. One brick at a time. One foot at a time. One day at a time. We are to savor what we are doing. By doing it bit by bit by bit. Each brick is an act of love. Yes, I had a good feeling when I awakened. Well before daybreak. I was visited in that dream. By a guardian angel. By someone. Something. Perhaps by my conduit to the Creator. Or the Creator himself. Yes, the Creator must be building his creation like this. Making it possible for all of his creatures, his living, soulful beings, to be part of the construction crew. --Jim Broede