Barbara J. Hamby

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Can you Throw Dirt and Keep Clean Hands

Is it my imagination or has politics reached a new low in throwing dirt this election year? It’s certainly something to wonder about. I just made a small donation to my party because it would be matched at the rate of three to one, but I’m hoping it wont be used for degrading ads. I’d prefer that it be spent shedding light on what our candidates will do if they’re elected. But, then again, campaign promises often vanish “after the ball is over.” I hesitate to speculate about how low future political opponents can get.

Another point to ponder is whether you can initiate violence responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians without getting blood on your hands. “Out, out damned spot.”

Yesterday I heard Lisa Ling, a young television journalist, report on an under cover visit to North Korea. She painted a horrifying picture. The worst thing she observed there, in my opinion, is that North Koreans believe they can crush the United States. I hope they’re wrong. I visited Pusan, South Korea, a few months ago. It was obvious they were knocking themselves out to promote tourist trade. North Korea’s actions will, no doubt put a damper on South Korea’s efforts. North Korea’s nuclear tests could also do serious damage to the health of their own people, many of whom are already starving, but also affect the health of the people in surrounding countries.

Now that I’ve created a black cloud over your computer, I think I’ll move on to write a lighter blog essay to publish tomorrow.