The following was submitted by Heritage Newspapers' Austen Smith:
During the glorious week of vacation that I enjoyed two weeks ago, there happened a curious incident that served as a stark reminder of just how rude and callous people can be.
I drove into Ann Arbor on one of my days off to pick my wife up for lunch, which was something that simply pleased her to death (take note here husbands of the world, little things really matter). On our way to Bagger Daves, a great little burger place, driving down a busy part of Main Street near downtown, I noticed slow traffic coming along in the opposite lane. As the cars cleared a bit, I saw a woman who had somehow gotten her car to turn sideways in the middle of the road. In other words, her car was perpendicular to two lanes of rush-hour traffic in the middle of Ann Arbor and, as you could imagine, she seemed distressed as she was standing nearby cell phone in hand undoubtedly calling a friend or family.
While this was ongoing and I was passing in the other lane, would any of you care to guess how many people had stopped to help this woman? If all of you cynics chimed in and said "Zero," you are absolutely right.
I turned left at the next opportunity, parked quickly in somebody's driveway and went over to help the lady. Turns out she had ran out of gas and apparently she had tried to turn around somehow in order to go roll down the hill (to perfectly honest, I still have no idea how she got facing sideways). But anyway, I pushed her car from off the curb and it slowly started rolling down the hill where she met her son who was at a gas station less than a quarter-mile away. When I got back in the car, my wife said, "Well that was nice of you," and I wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. I turned to her, a little baffled, and said "Isn't that what you're supposed to do?" I mean is my time all that precious that I couldn't take five minutes to help somebody who was in a potentially dangerous situation and obviously needed some assistance? The answer is no, and it shouldn't be for any of you either. This kind of thing should be basic human engineering but sadly, now it is considered "nice" or something considered above and beyond your societal obligations to take literally five minutes in order to help out a poor woman broke down in traffic.
Later that night, I started thinking about how many cars passed during the five minutes it took me to park and get over there (in addition there was somebody standing nearby at a bus stop, literally watching the entire situation - unbelievable), and I estimated that it was probably a good 15 to 20 cars; like I said, it was in the middle of rush hour. And I thought about what incredibly important things all of those people could have been attending to where they were unable to stop and help. Oh, I'm sure all of those people had legitimate excuses as to why they didn't stop such as being late for a pedicure and/or manicure, they might have thought that the woman - who was around 50-something driving a Volkswagen Bug in the middle of the day - could have been a homicidal maniac, or maybe they figured that since nobody else was stopping, why should they? Ahhhh...I bet that was the most frequented excuse.
And then I had the strangest thought, possibly the last person I would ever think about outside of work popped in my head suddenly, unexpectedly and certainly unwanted - Belleville City Councilman George Chedraue.
For those of you who don't know, Mr. Chedraue served one term as a City Council member for Belleville from 2005 up until the last election where he decided not to run for a second. During that time, he was know for being gruff, direct and at times bullyish. He took it upon himself to berate, talk down to and insult a vast number of people who walked into those meetings. Now, I have seen elected officials like this before and let me tell you that at first, they may be off-putting and even upsetting to some people, but almost always it is the person who is willing to lose popularity contests in order to make his or her point, often directed at important issues, and to get things accomplished.
However, during the time I covered Mr. Chedraue twice a month over a period of three years or so, my impression was that Mr. Chedraue often wielded that gruff personality and his limited amount of power in that manner for no other reason except for the fact that he could. In short, he was simply rude just like those motorists passing up a woman broke down in the middle of the street.
But - and this is a big but - that is not to say that he was all bad for the city. As a matter of fact, I believe he was well liked by city staff and his fellow elected officials. In addition to the faltering attributes of his personality, from what I could tell he was a dedicated public servant and he was brutally honest - which is becoming a real rarity in public officials big and small. I very much respected that even while completely disagreeing with his conduct.
In a society that seems to be less and less concerned with the art of manners, there were a lot of times during those City Council meetings I sat there thinking to myself that Chedraue was single-handedly leading the assault on basic politeness. And I guess the point I'm making is that it doesn't have to be that way. It's okay to be "nice."
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas
The following was submitted by Staff Reporter Gerald LaVaute:
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the house - just this side of chaos.
The table in the kitchen is piled high with wrapping paper and gifts. The counter a few feet away is covered by gifts that my wife Jan received at a party last night. The cookies that were on the counter until I moved them yesterday are now downstairs, where they belong.
The downstairs closet is filled with gifts waiting to be wrapped. My wife, I think, now plans to move from decorating the house to addressing and sending Christmas cards, and then to wrapping the gifts.
Where, you ask, am I? I'm taking orders in a cheerful manner, for getting ready for Christmas in our house is much bigger than one person.
The rest of the house now looks pretty good, after we worked hard on it this weekend. The tree is up - it looks as if it was professionally decorated, my wife is that good - and the fireplace mantel is decorated and aglow with soft light.
Gone now are most of the 18-gallon plastic tubs that I moved from a storage shed outside into the house. I counted 30 tubs, some of which are much larger than the 18-gallon size. They're back in the shed for now, till sometime after the Christmas holidays, except for one large tub that contained the Christmas tree that we usually put upstairs.
It looked as if the mice that appear to inhabit the storage shed had gotten to it, and we decided to throw it out. Most of the tubs are highly resistant to mice, but this one was a bit of an off-brand; it protected its contents for many years, but was violated at some point since last Christmas.
The living room was filled till yesterday with about 40 bags of gifts planned to be given to 10 children among four families whose kids attend the school where my wife works each day. My kids raised the money and did the shopping at Walmart.
Did I mention that my wife works at a school? Because its teachers and its students will produce still more stuff, gifts to be exchanged, and then the newly received gifts will be brought home, where they will be added to the other stuff already in the house; whereupon my wife and I will cleverly manage the influx and stay organized as best we can, preparing for the big day.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the house - just this side of chaos.
The table in the kitchen is piled high with wrapping paper and gifts. The counter a few feet away is covered by gifts that my wife Jan received at a party last night. The cookies that were on the counter until I moved them yesterday are now downstairs, where they belong.
The downstairs closet is filled with gifts waiting to be wrapped. My wife, I think, now plans to move from decorating the house to addressing and sending Christmas cards, and then to wrapping the gifts.
Where, you ask, am I? I'm taking orders in a cheerful manner, for getting ready for Christmas in our house is much bigger than one person.
The rest of the house now looks pretty good, after we worked hard on it this weekend. The tree is up - it looks as if it was professionally decorated, my wife is that good - and the fireplace mantel is decorated and aglow with soft light.
Gone now are most of the 18-gallon plastic tubs that I moved from a storage shed outside into the house. I counted 30 tubs, some of which are much larger than the 18-gallon size. They're back in the shed for now, till sometime after the Christmas holidays, except for one large tub that contained the Christmas tree that we usually put upstairs.
It looked as if the mice that appear to inhabit the storage shed had gotten to it, and we decided to throw it out. Most of the tubs are highly resistant to mice, but this one was a bit of an off-brand; it protected its contents for many years, but was violated at some point since last Christmas.
The living room was filled till yesterday with about 40 bags of gifts planned to be given to 10 children among four families whose kids attend the school where my wife works each day. My kids raised the money and did the shopping at Walmart.
Did I mention that my wife works at a school? Because its teachers and its students will produce still more stuff, gifts to be exchanged, and then the newly received gifts will be brought home, where they will be added to the other stuff already in the house; whereupon my wife and I will cleverly manage the influx and stay organized as best we can, preparing for the big day.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Ducks in the Stream
The following was submitted by Staff Reporter Gerald LaVaute:
I watched an unusual fight early this morning between two ducks, in the stream that runs through my backyard. I had just completed feeding the cats, walking the dogs, and I was retrieving my 14-year old Yellow Lab, who is deaf and was wandering off into a neighbor's yard.
The loud quacky combatants were surrounded by a couple other ducks in the stream. I believe that those fighting were male, the others female. I know how to distinguish between them, but they were around 100 yards distant, and they were moving pretty fast.
I was struck most by how cold I would have been, had I been floating in that stream like they were. And to raise the energy to fight viciously with another duck, and raise a terrible racket on a cloudy, gloomy day whose temperature was below freezing, well, I was pretty amazed - vive la difference.
I watched an unusual fight early this morning between two ducks, in the stream that runs through my backyard. I had just completed feeding the cats, walking the dogs, and I was retrieving my 14-year old Yellow Lab, who is deaf and was wandering off into a neighbor's yard.
The loud quacky combatants were surrounded by a couple other ducks in the stream. I believe that those fighting were male, the others female. I know how to distinguish between them, but they were around 100 yards distant, and they were moving pretty fast.
I was struck most by how cold I would have been, had I been floating in that stream like they were. And to raise the energy to fight viciously with another duck, and raise a terrible racket on a cloudy, gloomy day whose temperature was below freezing, well, I was pretty amazed - vive la difference.
Monday, December 7, 2009
A Date That Will Live in Infamy; Another Sad Anniversary Tomorrow
Today is the 68th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The attack forced the U.S. to declare war, after sitting on the sidelines for over two years after Great Britain and France declared war against Nazi Germany, after the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.
I read yesterday in the Detroit Free Press how different people experienced first hearing the news, in a manner familiar to many when they recall how they first learned of President John Kennedy's assassination. Legendary golder Arnold Palmer was 12 years old in 1941, and was caddying on a golf course.
The war brought much suffering into the world, and stands as a cautionary tale about allowing the menace of evil to linger too long without a firm, decisive response.
Tomorrow is the 29th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon, the first of the Beatles to die. I was asleep at 6 a.m. when the clock alarm rang that morning in 1980 . The radio announced that Lennon had been shot.
I was stunned. Political leaders, yes, but entertainers being gunned down? For me, it was a new, unprecedented low in human behavior. I remember the gut emotional reaction of shock, followed by horror, followed by revulsion, to this day.
The attack forced the U.S. to declare war, after sitting on the sidelines for over two years after Great Britain and France declared war against Nazi Germany, after the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.
I read yesterday in the Detroit Free Press how different people experienced first hearing the news, in a manner familiar to many when they recall how they first learned of President John Kennedy's assassination. Legendary golder Arnold Palmer was 12 years old in 1941, and was caddying on a golf course.
The war brought much suffering into the world, and stands as a cautionary tale about allowing the menace of evil to linger too long without a firm, decisive response.
Tomorrow is the 29th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon, the first of the Beatles to die. I was asleep at 6 a.m. when the clock alarm rang that morning in 1980 . The radio announced that Lennon had been shot.
I was stunned. Political leaders, yes, but entertainers being gunned down? For me, it was a new, unprecedented low in human behavior. I remember the gut emotional reaction of shock, followed by horror, followed by revulsion, to this day.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Lists
The following was submitted by Staff Reporter Gerald LaVaute:
I've become a big believer in lists. It's gotten worse since I retired earlier this year, and returned to work as a writer. If I'm inspired to write about a subject, say while I'm shaving, I go to a list and write down the idea. Occasionally, I will stop shaving two or three times to return to the list and write down additional ideas on the same subject.
I keep a list and a pen on my dresser in my bedroom, in the kitchen, in the home office, in the work office, on a table next to my chair in the living room, and in the car. For those of you who were counting, that is six lists. And they're all well-used.
My paper of choice is from Andrew's Sav-Mor Pharmacy on Main St. in Belleville. The paper is 3 inches by 5 inches, and it's a small pad - I don't care for the sticky notes.
In fact, I was thinking the other day about replenishing the stock. Oddly, I didn't write it down on a list, because I think that, unconsciously, the irony was too much for me - writing on a list an assigment to purchase small tablets to create yet more lists.
Last week, I was talking about WW II non-fiction with a Sports Editor, and I mentioned that I had recorded the HBO series "Band of Brothers" on VHS tape. I told him I'd bring it in to him the following week and, after writing it down on a list , I put the tapes in my briefcase after I returned home on Thursday evening, and I dropped the tapes on his chair on Monday morning when I returned to the office.
I currently have six separate lists in my wallet. They compete with my cash for space. Too often, the lists win.
As I write this, I have four lists on the desk in front of me. This is not a cry for help, although my wife, who rarely makes a list, would probably disagree with me.
I've become a big believer in lists. It's gotten worse since I retired earlier this year, and returned to work as a writer. If I'm inspired to write about a subject, say while I'm shaving, I go to a list and write down the idea. Occasionally, I will stop shaving two or three times to return to the list and write down additional ideas on the same subject.
I keep a list and a pen on my dresser in my bedroom, in the kitchen, in the home office, in the work office, on a table next to my chair in the living room, and in the car. For those of you who were counting, that is six lists. And they're all well-used.
My paper of choice is from Andrew's Sav-Mor Pharmacy on Main St. in Belleville. The paper is 3 inches by 5 inches, and it's a small pad - I don't care for the sticky notes.
In fact, I was thinking the other day about replenishing the stock. Oddly, I didn't write it down on a list, because I think that, unconsciously, the irony was too much for me - writing on a list an assigment to purchase small tablets to create yet more lists.
Last week, I was talking about WW II non-fiction with a Sports Editor, and I mentioned that I had recorded the HBO series "Band of Brothers" on VHS tape. I told him I'd bring it in to him the following week and, after writing it down on a list , I put the tapes in my briefcase after I returned home on Thursday evening, and I dropped the tapes on his chair on Monday morning when I returned to the office.
I currently have six separate lists in my wallet. They compete with my cash for space. Too often, the lists win.
As I write this, I have four lists on the desk in front of me. This is not a cry for help, although my wife, who rarely makes a list, would probably disagree with me.
VBT Public Safety Committee - First Impressions
The following was submitted by Staff Writer Gerald LaVaute:
I attended my first Van Buren Township Public Safety Committee meeting on November 10. I found it interesting and newsworthy, and reported on it in last week's issue of The View. I probably will attend more meetings, particularly as next year's Public Safety budget is discussed and resolved.
Evidently, there are many new faces on the committee. I understand from a former committee member that all of them except one (who was absent that evening) were appointed by Supervisor Paul White, who himself was inaugurated a year ago.
I was interested in the tone that the meeting took between the committee members and the Public Safety officials. Seated at one table were Police Captains Brooks and Laurain, and new Fire Chief Loyer. Trustee Phil Hart, who has been the Board of Trustees representative to the committee for some years, sat between Loyer and Brooks. Except for Loyer, the Police Captains and Hart have been involved in township Public Safety for years.
Arrayed either diagonally or directly across from them were the committee members, all of them with no more than a year's experience. And Supervisor White attended as well, because among the agenda items was the 2010 Public Safety budget.
The interaction between the Police Captains and Hart, on the one one hand, and the committee members on the other, might be described as politely adversarial.
That's not a bad thing: it's a good thing in principle to challenge the operating people, and I have to say that Brooks and Laurain were open to discussion and the potential for change.
Committee members pushed to seriously consider adoption of a process, called CALEA, that would accredit the Van Buren Township Police Department after complying with certain requirements, and a $15,000 start-up fee.
Captain Laurain had gathered a considerabloe amount of data on CALEA, and although he emphasized that he wasn't opposed to it, the preponderance of the evidence pointed to a lukewarm reception for CALEA in most law enforcement agencies in Michigan.
The committee members wanted to develop some data of their own, however, and formed a small subcommittee to do further research, and to report back to the committee. I look forward to seeing the results and discussion at the next meeting at 5:30 p.m. on December 8.
I attended my first Van Buren Township Public Safety Committee meeting on November 10. I found it interesting and newsworthy, and reported on it in last week's issue of The View. I probably will attend more meetings, particularly as next year's Public Safety budget is discussed and resolved.
Evidently, there are many new faces on the committee. I understand from a former committee member that all of them except one (who was absent that evening) were appointed by Supervisor Paul White, who himself was inaugurated a year ago.
I was interested in the tone that the meeting took between the committee members and the Public Safety officials. Seated at one table were Police Captains Brooks and Laurain, and new Fire Chief Loyer. Trustee Phil Hart, who has been the Board of Trustees representative to the committee for some years, sat between Loyer and Brooks. Except for Loyer, the Police Captains and Hart have been involved in township Public Safety for years.
Arrayed either diagonally or directly across from them were the committee members, all of them with no more than a year's experience. And Supervisor White attended as well, because among the agenda items was the 2010 Public Safety budget.
The interaction between the Police Captains and Hart, on the one one hand, and the committee members on the other, might be described as politely adversarial.
That's not a bad thing: it's a good thing in principle to challenge the operating people, and I have to say that Brooks and Laurain were open to discussion and the potential for change.
Committee members pushed to seriously consider adoption of a process, called CALEA, that would accredit the Van Buren Township Police Department after complying with certain requirements, and a $15,000 start-up fee.
Captain Laurain had gathered a considerabloe amount of data on CALEA, and although he emphasized that he wasn't opposed to it, the preponderance of the evidence pointed to a lukewarm reception for CALEA in most law enforcement agencies in Michigan.
The committee members wanted to develop some data of their own, however, and formed a small subcommittee to do further research, and to report back to the committee. I look forward to seeing the results and discussion at the next meeting at 5:30 p.m. on December 8.
Friday, October 30, 2009
How far is too far?
The following was submitted by Heritage Newspapers' Austen Smith:
There has been one heck of a war of words between supporters of the effort to recall four Van Buren Township officials and those who have flocked to the support of Supervisor Paul White, Clerk Leon Wright and Trustees Denise Partridge and Al Ostrowski. In a way, this entire situation boils down to exactly that: A war or words, beliefs, opinions, alliances etc... And despite a few minor instances that I have heard rumors of here and there, thank goodness it has not escalated from that because there is one thing I know for sure, the two opposing sides will not be sitting down to a friendly cup of tea with each other anytime soon - in what could be considered the understatement of the year.
So in what could only be described as a bizarre situation such as this, how far is too far? What can one say in the vein of frustration and anger that would make that individual stop for a second and say, "Wow. Did I just say that?"
I don't know if you can put a qualitative measurement on something like that, but there was a statement made at the last meeting of the Partridge, Ostrowski, White and Wright group, or POWW, that came pretty darn close. During this meeting, resident Reg Ion when speaking as to how the committee should proceed if and when the recall group did collect enough signatures to place the recall vote on February's ballot, stated, "We can't go back to our normal lives. This is the 'Axis of Evil' we're dealing with."
Excuse me? The "Axis of Evil?" Now this statement was not originally reported in a story that we printed in The View because 1. I tend to give all people, not just elected officials, the benefit of the doubt when it comes to direct quotes (Please quote what I meant to say, not what I actually said sort of thing), and 2. I had to give some thought as to whether something like that would be appropriate to print in a community newspaper. So, after giving a good deal of thought this is what I came up with:
- Mr. Ion did mean to say that, and from what I have gathered meant exactly what he said.
- I felt that something so over the top needed to be addressed, in some form or another. After all, being a community watchdog is a seriously lost art in newspapers.
So here's my question: Did Mr. Ion seriously draw a comparison between a grassroots organization of Van Buren residents who believe in their rights and opinions just as strongly as he and the other POWW supporters, to the threat of Iran, Iraq and North Korea? For those who don't recall, President George W. Bush in his 2002 State of the Union speech described these three nuclear threats as the "Axis of Evil," a speech and a statement which laid the groundwork to the Iraq War, a conflict we are still mired in today.
At first thought, I would hope that Mr. Ion simply meant this statement as more of a sensationalized call to arms for the rest of the group to keep up the fight and not give up even if it looked as if the tides were turning. But even if that were the case, saying something like that - in which I'm sure there are literally hundreds of negative terms he could have chosen out of a hat, that didn't bring up connotations of nuclear war and terrorism - is simply over the line...way over the line.
I know that Mr. Ion, whom I have heard speak at board meetings dozens of times and always thought he was a well-informed and well-spoken individual, feels strongly about this situation (obviously) but judging from this comment, he and others have lost an important sense of perspective. The recall committee members also feel very strongly about the difficult situation we have here in the township, and despite what Ion or anybody else may think they have every right to proceed with this recall. It is American, and they should have the right to support this effort without being compared to terrorists.
The situation reminds me of a rather infamous moment from the last presidential election in which Republican candidate Sen. John McCain was in a town-hall meeting taking comments and questions from audience members. A woman stood, took the microphone and promptly described then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama as an "Arab." I believe the exact comment was that she was not going to vote for Obama because she had heard "...he is an Arab." Now, what did Sen. McCain do? He immediately bristled and told the woman, "No, ma'am. He's a decent family man, with whom I just happen to have disagreements with about fundamental issues." I loved that. John McCain in that single stroke attempted to bring professionalism back into the realm of presidential politics. Are you ready for the irony? McCain eventually lost in a landslide...go figure.
Those involved with this seem to be losing sight of the fact that this is not personal. Unfortunately supporters on both sides seem to be making it personal. I guess my biggest question here is why? Everybody involved, whether you all like it or not, may not be your friends but they are your neighbors and they pay taxes and work hard just like everybody else. Now, I'm not one to advise adversaries to sit around sing "Kumbaya," but at the very least, I don't think it's too much to ask to take a lesson from Sen. McCain and keep it professional.
There has been one heck of a war of words between supporters of the effort to recall four Van Buren Township officials and those who have flocked to the support of Supervisor Paul White, Clerk Leon Wright and Trustees Denise Partridge and Al Ostrowski. In a way, this entire situation boils down to exactly that: A war or words, beliefs, opinions, alliances etc... And despite a few minor instances that I have heard rumors of here and there, thank goodness it has not escalated from that because there is one thing I know for sure, the two opposing sides will not be sitting down to a friendly cup of tea with each other anytime soon - in what could be considered the understatement of the year.
So in what could only be described as a bizarre situation such as this, how far is too far? What can one say in the vein of frustration and anger that would make that individual stop for a second and say, "Wow. Did I just say that?"
I don't know if you can put a qualitative measurement on something like that, but there was a statement made at the last meeting of the Partridge, Ostrowski, White and Wright group, or POWW, that came pretty darn close. During this meeting, resident Reg Ion when speaking as to how the committee should proceed if and when the recall group did collect enough signatures to place the recall vote on February's ballot, stated, "We can't go back to our normal lives. This is the 'Axis of Evil' we're dealing with."
Excuse me? The "Axis of Evil?" Now this statement was not originally reported in a story that we printed in The View because 1. I tend to give all people, not just elected officials, the benefit of the doubt when it comes to direct quotes (Please quote what I meant to say, not what I actually said sort of thing), and 2. I had to give some thought as to whether something like that would be appropriate to print in a community newspaper. So, after giving a good deal of thought this is what I came up with:
- Mr. Ion did mean to say that, and from what I have gathered meant exactly what he said.
- I felt that something so over the top needed to be addressed, in some form or another. After all, being a community watchdog is a seriously lost art in newspapers.
So here's my question: Did Mr. Ion seriously draw a comparison between a grassroots organization of Van Buren residents who believe in their rights and opinions just as strongly as he and the other POWW supporters, to the threat of Iran, Iraq and North Korea? For those who don't recall, President George W. Bush in his 2002 State of the Union speech described these three nuclear threats as the "Axis of Evil," a speech and a statement which laid the groundwork to the Iraq War, a conflict we are still mired in today.
At first thought, I would hope that Mr. Ion simply meant this statement as more of a sensationalized call to arms for the rest of the group to keep up the fight and not give up even if it looked as if the tides were turning. But even if that were the case, saying something like that - in which I'm sure there are literally hundreds of negative terms he could have chosen out of a hat, that didn't bring up connotations of nuclear war and terrorism - is simply over the line...way over the line.
I know that Mr. Ion, whom I have heard speak at board meetings dozens of times and always thought he was a well-informed and well-spoken individual, feels strongly about this situation (obviously) but judging from this comment, he and others have lost an important sense of perspective. The recall committee members also feel very strongly about the difficult situation we have here in the township, and despite what Ion or anybody else may think they have every right to proceed with this recall. It is American, and they should have the right to support this effort without being compared to terrorists.
The situation reminds me of a rather infamous moment from the last presidential election in which Republican candidate Sen. John McCain was in a town-hall meeting taking comments and questions from audience members. A woman stood, took the microphone and promptly described then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama as an "Arab." I believe the exact comment was that she was not going to vote for Obama because she had heard "...he is an Arab." Now, what did Sen. McCain do? He immediately bristled and told the woman, "No, ma'am. He's a decent family man, with whom I just happen to have disagreements with about fundamental issues." I loved that. John McCain in that single stroke attempted to bring professionalism back into the realm of presidential politics. Are you ready for the irony? McCain eventually lost in a landslide...go figure.
Those involved with this seem to be losing sight of the fact that this is not personal. Unfortunately supporters on both sides seem to be making it personal. I guess my biggest question here is why? Everybody involved, whether you all like it or not, may not be your friends but they are your neighbors and they pay taxes and work hard just like everybody else. Now, I'm not one to advise adversaries to sit around sing "Kumbaya," but at the very least, I don't think it's too much to ask to take a lesson from Sen. McCain and keep it professional.
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