Broken Road Confessionals: December 11, 2014

**I made an observation right around election time: The American public claims it wants the elected officials they put into office to be able to cross party lines and make bipartisan effort. Yet it seems many of those same citizens are as polarized as the leaders they are criticizing. Which begs the question: Is this straight up hypocrisy or do the people simply not want to accept that this is, sadly, an accurate representation of our country?

**One more thing, election-related, and then I'm all done being publicly political in any way. It bothers me when people claim that anyone who doesn't share the same views they do are "stupid." Just because we may not agree, doesn't mean I'm stupid. In fact, I do my best to educate myself on the people running, and I make the decision that best reflect my personal values. That is the beauty of our system. I get to vote for the person who I feel represents my views and values. You get the same opportunity. So does every other citizen. The majority rules. Yes, even if that majority is only 50.2%. Yes, even if it isn't what I want or you want. Calling someone stupid for disagreeing with you makes you as ignorant as you claim the other person to be. That's playground behavior that isn't even tolerated among the preschool set. We each get our vote, they all count the same, and hurling insults certainly does nothing to mend the polarization we're experiencing in this country. In fact, all it accomplishes is driving the wedge in further. You may, very well, be disappointed with an outcome, but keep in mind that we all want the same thing--a well run country--and while we may not agree on how to make that happen, we all vote as best we can. If you have nothing nice or helpful to say, perhaps its best you just continue using your voice on your ballot and stop being part of the disparity problem the U.S. is having. We don't always get our way, but acting like a spoiled child about it changes nothing, other than alienating everyone who isn't your exact philosophical or political clone. And pointing your finger, accusingly, that "the other party won't get along with mine," while calling them stupid, certainly doesn't facilitate a more civil discussion.

**That new(ish) Chanel No. 5 commercial's of ad music was such a surprising way to interpret that old song used in the movie "Grease" that it actually stopped me in my tracks. I'm always amazed when an artist can take a song and change its whole personality, just by the way they sing it. I actually had to Google that and discovered this version was done by someone named "Lo-Fang" and now I have to add it to my list of songs I want to purchase on The iTunes.

**Clearly, this "Confessions" post has been loitering in my Draft folder for quite a while. I got busy leading up to Thanksgiving, what with travel and decorating and what have you, and I started to feel scattered, which led to piles of drafts, none of which were ready for publishing. Some I've rolled forward for current posts, and others I've backdated for when they were intended to be shared. And, well, it's my blog, right? Hoping to get back to the actual posting and not just piles of drafts.