I'm sad.

And disheartened. And worried. Worried about this country, sure, but mostly worried about apathy, ignorance, and immaturity.

How hard is it to support your candidate without disrespecting the other?

We have weeks to go, and life in this country is challenging right now. Do we have to belittle each other over our beliefs?

Two separate people tonight I saw insulting the opposing candidate on Twitter and Facebook... not with facts, and certainly with no real understanding of the issues...they simply were saying ugly things about people who have dedicated their lives to serve our country in one capacity or another.

I don't care what you believe. Pro this, against that, I could care less. They are your beliefs, and you are entitled to them. But to feel good about your candidate, is it absolutely necessary to insult mine?

Maybe the best thing we can do right now, as Americans, is show the world we can run our "model democracy" with some level of maturity.

Good luck to your candidate. And good luck to mine.

My opinion is righter than yours, dummy.

I know the hypocrisy behind what I am about to say. I blog, I share my opinions, I make judgments, I impose my beliefs on others, I get it. That being said, I don't make statements about about my opinions on hotbutton issues or politics as though they are fact. They are my opinions, and I am entitled to them, the same as you are entitled to yours.

Enter "Jane".

(we'll call her Jane as she is a lady I knew from high school, and by not using her real name, I am trying to show her more decency that she is showing others.)

Jane filled out her status on Facebook one day with the following:

"Jane cannot believe that any thinking woman would vote for (candidate team) - esp. b/c of (candidate team member). UGH!"

any.thinking.woman.

Lemme get this straight, Janie. Any woman who is affiliated with the party in competition with your candidates doesn't think. Hasn't thought it through. Doesn't get it.

Now, as a friend says, I am a male and therefore subject to testosterone poisoning. But for today's discussion, I represent the millions of Americans, male and female, who hold a contrary opinion to yours. And as an emotionally gifted American male who realizes we are the less intelligent gender, I briefly join the ranks of brilliant females across this great nation to address your insulting comment.

How glorious it must be for you to awaken each morning knowing that you are part of the group of people that are just "right". What a relief it must be not to be a part of the group of people who are so empirically "wrong". All the intelligent, rational, and opinionated women I know will be THRILLED to learn that instead of taking their own thoughtless stance on candidate selection, they can simply follow your Solomon-esque lead, and never be forced into any of that icky thinking stuff.

Just a thought, maybe you could make your case for your impending vote, if you must share it at all, and leave out the bigotry. Maybe you could support others who take a stance, even those in the opposition, and actually exercise their voting privilege. Perhaps you just did your candidate a disservice by calling people names for not agreeing with you.

My hope for your near future: an ego deflation and a dose of respect for others. I will try to heed my own call, and find a way to respect the fact that you have this opinion. However, if it requires thought, I guess I'm screwed.