It's a political year, and the crazies are out.  To quote a comedian that shall remain nameless (I'm not above stealing material), I'm widely, but not deeply read.  So I am spending a great deal of time reading about the various candidates and issues that will be on the ballot in my area in November.  We all will get to vote for president, so I read just about anything on Obama or McCain and their campaigns that I can.  I try to ignore anything on TV because the sound bites simply don't give me enough information and are often misleading if not downright false.

So when I go to the internet and start researching issues, I am simply amazed at what some people will post and try to get other people to believe as the "truth".  I had to laugh at a website by an organization called "XXXXX for Truth" (redacted to protect their stupidity).  Nothing they stand for as far as I could see could be farther from the truth.  No matter how you might feel about the issues they stand for, their website contains material that could not possibly be true, and with very little research, I found parts that were not only false, but used outright scare tactics to attempt to persuade its audience.  And this is the kind of material that some people might use to base a decision on gay marriage initiatives on various state ballots.  If it wasn't so sad that some people will actually believe this, I would recommend it as a comedy read.  Ah, the beauty of the internet.  Anyone can post anything and call it the "truth".

What I find sad is that no one listens to anyone else anymore.  No one seems to find the common ground between opposing points of view.  We have become a country of polarized opinions.  I have written to both my state assembly representative and my congressman, both of whom are in the party opposite of that in which I am registered.  I expressed specific questions and concerns.  I never got a response from either one.  If those that are elected to represent us cannot listen to us, where are we?