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Jeff Whitten: Election silliness
editor's notes

If you weren’t at the corner of 17 and 144 in Richmond Hill during the afternoon rush hour Monday then you missed it, and probably were the smarter and better for it.

One corner of 17 was manned by several women showing their support for the president by waving Trump banners and flags and whatnot.

Across 144, another corner had on it four women expressing their lack of support for the same fellow. Among the signage for a bit was a bright pink one that read, sort of, “(Four letter word that rhymes with hockey puck, without the hockey part) Trump.”

Anyhow, by the time your’s truly, who is half blind, remembered his camera was set for nighttime high school football – which can seem like trying to take photos of bats in a cave lit by glow sticks – that particular sentiment was replaced by the words “Black Lives Matter.” So much for my camera skills.

Not that it matters, I wouldn’t have run the photo without that word blanked out anyway, although I’m sort of at a loss when it comes to the casual use of profanity these days. Not surprised, mind you. Just lost.

I’m also beyond fed up with the far left and far right, and all the nattering nabobs of negativity in both their camps, to steal a line from somebody more imaginative than I.

While it’s one thing to be convinced of one’s cause, and there’s good I think in being righteous, there’s more than enough self righteousness and bigotry and downright intellectual laziness – and ignorance – to go around right now, from all corners of our society.

What we need are more folks capable of doubt and mindful of the old Biblical admonitions against throwing rocks or judging others.

Or maybe at least people somewhat amenable to following the Far East version of the Golden Rule, which if I remember a class I had on comparative something or the other is basically saying “do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you.”

That a more mellow version of the Western notion of “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you,” which sometimes seems to be interpreted as making sure you do unto others before they can do unto you,” which I suspect is kin to “he who has the gold makes the rules,” which seems a possibility.

In the meantime, me being nondenominational when it comes to both my politics and my thoughts on a higher power, I can’t help wondering a few things about Monday’s displays. For starters, what’s it accomplish? Who in the world bases their vote on someone waving a flag on a corner at rush hour? People who wave flags on corners?

I’ve also never quite understood political yard signs either, though they seem somewhat benign given what passes for political discourse these days.

“My guy’s great. You’re guy’s stupid.” “You’re guy’s mean, my guy is not,” which then sort of edges into “I’m gonna stomp your butt” territory on some pickups.

Go Us.

At any rate, it’s going to be an interesting few weeks.

Trump supporters, some of whom I consider friends, are gearing up to have what’s been described to me as a combination motorcade/flotilla on Saturday, which seems to me to be a waste of a perfectly good Saturday morning during football sesaon.

But it’s a free world and if it makes them feel better and makes the president feel better then it accomplishes something, I suppose.

And, lest I be accused of favoring one side or the other, I also have friends who’d vote for a jug of imported pig snot before they’d vote for the Donald. Some of those folks may be out there countering the motorcade/flotilla for all I know.

If there’s one thing in common between the various camps, it’s that a whole bunch of people seem in a hurry to get ballots cast before the other side (pick a side) steals the election.

Meanwhile, I’m still trying to figure out who to vote for and why.

I’m pretty clear on who I’m not voting for. I’m not voting for anyone who’s putting out attack ads, or their freeloading cousins sent en masse to newspapers, the “public relations hit piece.” Sure, that requirement alone pretty much wipes out two thirds of the ballot while it fills up editors’ inboxes. But hey.

Imagine applying for a job by telling your potential employer (in this case, the American people) how bad the other guy wanting the job is. If potential employer has any sense, you ain’t getting the job.

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