Before I discuss the article I want to call attention to, let me admit to having been AWOL lately.

Part of the reason for that is a couple of new aspects of my business I'm trying to develop. I missed Wednesday night's debate because I had to be in another meeting. From all reports, I'm glad I did. Nor did I watch CNN's recent "Compassion" extraveganza.

Excuse me, but I don't care about the faith preferences of the candidates. I care about their competence. After the last 8 years, I would hope you would, too. In fact, our Constitution specifically speaks to the fact that no religious test will be required of candidates.

Let's understand a couple of things. There are two other universal truths about living on this planet as a human being besides death and taxes. One is that your brain is only capable of having one thought at a time. That brain can process thoughts sequentially at extraordinary speeds, but only one at a time.

The second truth is that we cannot manufacture time for ourselves. Regardless of who we are on this planet, we get 24 hours of 60 minutes each. You can find ways to make more money or to compress the amount of time required for a task, but you cannot make more time. So if you spend 45 minutes talking about BS like lapel pins, then you can't ask for a refund of that time to talk about gas prices, war and peace, universal health care and the like.  I noticed on ABC's Sunday morning news show today, the format was defended as a fact of life that the campaigns must endure. I suggest that we voters reject candidates and news agencies who substitute lapel pin BS for discussion of issues that matter. We're in some deep shit, here folks and we need to make choice that's based on substance.

Thanks to a friend of mine for pointing this article by Jamison Foser from Media Matters out to me.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200804180009?f=h_top