Thursday! Hang in There!

What you are

shouts so loudly in my ears

I cannot hear what you say.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

This week actually went pretty quickly for me, but I’m still glad tomorrow’s Friday.

Today’s “hang in there” spider is a Marbled Orb Weaver, and this was a big one. I actually initially thought it was a yellow leaf. It was rough getting an in-focus shot, as it was busy wrapping up this stink bug.

Dude, we are dealing with a stink bug infestation. I guess they’re seeking shelter now that the nights are colder. I hate them because I keep inadvertently vacuuming them up and then they… well, they stink. Also, when they fly around they’re silent, but when they land there is this distinct click, and it bugs the bejesus out of me when I’m trying to sleep.

Today’s quote serves as a reminder to watch the VP debate tonight, and to remember to look past who these people are, and listen carefully to what they say.

I am admittedly biased here. I grew up in Delaware and, like everyone else there, have met Joe Biden on a number of occasions. He and my dad went to grade school together.

In addition, this is an anti-Palin household because of the whole aerial wolf hunting business. My son last year saved up his allowance for ten whole weeks to adopt an wolf after learning about Palin’s policies.

The media has been making a big deal about Sarah Palin and how she is unprepared to be Vice President; how she is unprepared even to debate. They’ve turned her into a caricature, a celebrity. Thanks to all the hype, I expect that most people will tune in, at least for a while, on the expectation that she will say something ridiculous and inane. (By the way, how sad is that?)

I don’t think that’s necessarily going to happen. I think she’s been prepped and she’s probably ready. Expectations are low, so if Palin manages to string coherent sentences together, to say anything of any substance, people will be pleasantly surprised by how well she does.

All these people tuning in, maybe for the first time, and saying, heck, she’s not so bad. I thought she’d do a lot worse.

This is insanity. Palin is being held to a whole other standard. But that’s beyond the point.

This election is not about her. It’s about the issues.

For these last few weeks, she has been preparing. She’s been memorizing what she is supposed to say, what her views are supposed to be. Listen very carefully.

Of course, for someone who is so down on the media and how it distorts everything, I sure do read and watch a lot of it. I feel myself getting cynical. All this spin, all this selective quoting, all the smoke and mirrors…

Is it even possible for the average American to educate themselves on the candidates and the issues in a truly comprehensive way? Does the media do more obscuring than illuminating? What do you think?