Twisted Headlines

Yesterday on facebook, a co-worker of mine posted the following: "Obama skipping Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. 'He'll be on vacation in Chicago'"  You would think a comment like that couldn't possibly start any trouble, could you?


Well, it went on and on.  There are actual news articles and blogs calling Obama out for sending Joe Biden in his place.  As it turns out, President Obama will be at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.  It's not like, in the words of my co-worker, he's spending the day at a waterpark.


You're probably wondering why I am posting about a post from facebook and here's why.  It bugged the heck out of me.  I couldn't find much in the way of Presidents attending the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington.  But, I did find out that Obama isn't the first President to miss it.  When I pointed out that Bush II had missed to be in Normandy, France.  A person stated, "And it always goes back to Bush II for some reason....very interesting. The hatred for him knows no bounds"  And, proceeded to post Bush's Normandy comments.  


Here's what bugs me:  Yes, I thought President George W. Bush was a bad President and, yes, I voted for Obama and I will be voting for Obama in 2012.  But, I don't pull out something Bush had done and necessarily mean it was a bad thing.  And, can't people say anything about Bush and not be accused of hating him? 

In fact, I don't even care that Bush went to Normandy, I was merely pointing out that this Presidential tradition had been broken before.  In fact, later in the day, I learned that Reagan missed in 1983 to attend an economic summit and Bush I missed to speak at an American Legion and then play golf.


So, I was thinking, Are we really that bad in this country that we infer or project how we think a person feels because we label them?  Some people think I'm a radical liberal -- far from the truth -- but does that mean that no matter what I say, they hear a radical liberal response?


Does that mean that we have stopped paying attention to each other?  I realize our pundits have completely lost their minds and stopped listening, but have the rest of us?  And, if we have, isn't that the saddest thing ever?  How can we solve our country's problems if we when hear an idea, we only agree if they're a Conservative Republican or a Liberal Democrat?  Why are we so polarized when, except when driving a car, the middle of the road is usually the best place to be?


God Bless