Town Hall Debate- Did he just say that?

Ok- I have not commented directly on a debate, Presidential or Vice Presidential, until tonight. I feel like I have to. No secrets here. I am speaking from a biased point of view. You can scroll down and see that I am no republican. I think that W. is a moron, who made it to office simply because of the Christian conservatives and who his father is.  I think that the GOP does not look out for the interests of the vast majority; those of us who are in middle America; those of us who have to work more than one job to pay bills, a mortgage, college tuition, car payments, etc.  In my heart of hearts, I do not think that the republicans care if I make it or not, or if I loose my house to foreclosure... I take that back, if it were going to hurt them financially, then they MIGHT care.  

With that said, I do not agree with all Democrats either. I think that both parties have a tendency to get to Washington and forget what got them there. So, I am gladly an Independent. I have voted for republicans before, sure I will do it again- never for President, but I digress.

Tonight, John McCain referred to Barack Obama as "that one"... whoa. Do I even have to explain why that was inappropriate? Do I even have to tell anyone why that kind of talk (whether it was a slip or not) is unacceptable in a PRESIDENTIAL debate? What would be the reaction if Barack said the exact same thing?? I am not one to automatically pull out the race card, but really, "that one" is something that I would envision was said when buying slaves on the auction block. I am truly offended by McCain's choice of words and believe that he should issue an apology.  The complete disregard that I felt when he said that cannot be described. As a politician, you HAVE to know when your words will be hurtful; when they will be inappropriate; when they will be seen in a bad light.  If I can't trust John McCain in a town hall meeting debate, how can I be sure he won't have a slip of the tongue in a diplomatic meeting with another country? Feel free to comment... 

Why are people crazy?

Ok... so I am at work and just got done reading the Chicago Tribune online... relax, I have a meeting shortly, so I am actually preparing for that. Not that this has not dawned on me in my own personal life, but reading the paper today it has become even more crystal clear that people are NUTS... I was reading a story and trying to think about what would make a person do the INSANE actions that this man participated in- I came up with nothing. Here is the story: Chicago police officer, drunk in a bar... bartender cuts him off... he comes behind the bar and procedes to beat the hell out of this little girl. Here is the kicker: all of this is caught on video tape. AND there are people in the bar who are NOT helping this chick out.
Now, you all know that it is one of my crusades to stand up and fight for the defenseless... and myself if you get on my nerves. I think I was more appalled that there were grown men in that bar that watched this chick get her ass beat. Don't get me wrong, the police officer (who was off duty) should not have touched her, but dude, where was her back up... what were those men doing just watching it happen? Some have been on the news. They allege that they knew the attacker was a police officer, so they were apprehensive about getting involved. What does that say about us as a society? What does that tell you about those men?
We all have our tendencies, but come on... not allowing your fellow person to get beat up for cutting someone off at a bar (by the way, had she NOT cut him off and he hurt someone after leaving, the bartender and the bar might be held responsible later) has to be a priority. You have to care... a little. Ok, I hope a lot. You have to care about your fellow man... don't you?

I am reminded about another incident that happened two weeks ago. There was a train derailment. No one was hurt, but the trains were behind schedule. There were a TON of people at the train station. By the time I got on the train (an hour later than usual) it was packed. Figuring that I am young and everyone had been waiting just as long as me, I opted to stand for the ride and let an older person have my seat. I was standing up and I looked around me... there was only two men that were standing, all the rest of the people standing were women. I looked in the two cars and there are young men (my age or younger) sitting down while women and two older gentlemen were standing. THAT IS JUST WRONG. Where are your manners??? Why are we not being taught that in that situation, the thing to do is to at least OFFER your seat to a person that is older than you, or to a lady? Two of my guy friends tried to argue that women have asked for equality and if we are all equals then we should not be looking for an offer of a seat. WTF???? Since when does equality mean that you have to forget manners? I was (ok, I admit... I STILL am) pissed. I swear that manners have taken a backseat and really, that is not ok. I was not even looking for a seat. Really, I could care less if I sit down, but there was not even one offer made to ANY of the older ladies that were standing. No effort at all. Appalling.
If I was riding that train with my parents, they would have MADE me give up my seat to someone else. None of us would have enjoyed a seat as long as an older person was standing.
What ever happened to common courtesy?