This is How the Republic Falls

In one of the message boards I was perusing today, I found this link about Hillary and the rebuttal about Newt. Apparently one of them is racist and the other is more racist. The boards lit up in rivers of flame.

And then there was the whole thing about Mayor Nagin calling New Orleans "Chocolate City." More flames.

And then there was more stuff... too inane to mention.

Meanwhile... the prescription drug plan is in shambles, Iraq is still a mess, the environment is degrading, oil companies are gougin us, the debt is increasing, the Chinese own more and more of this country, and we're running out of copper.

But seriously, the Nagin thing is important too... that and Scarlett Johansson's breasts.

Is this really what we've come to? Are we really so blinded by trivialities and minutiae that we allow it to interfere with the functioning of our political system? Is American Idol more important than the 4th Amendment? Do we really care anymore as long as we have a lottery and Victory Gin? Janet Jackon's areola got more public scrutiny than Haliburton's no-bid contracts.

Our attention span wanes with the next news cycle; we forget, we get distracted, and things don't get better. Frankly, I don't think we care.

I'm tired of not caring; I hope you are too.

Eternal Vigilance and whatnot.... until then, I'm on the soapbox.