Saturday, March 26, 2016

The Centurion – A Matter of Faith: A Short Story by Victor Lana

First appeared on Blogcritics.

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He trembled now as he stood on the Skull Hill, watching some of his men hammer nails into the hands and feet of the good man who had saved his servant’s life. The Centurion took off the ornate helmet that signified his rank and station, dropping it on the ground near his feet. He couldn’t watch this spectacle anymore.

He shouldn’t be here, he thought. Captain of one hundred men, his place should have been somewhere else marching against real and worthy opponents. He recalled his battles against the Picts in northern Britain and the barbarian tribes in Dacia. That is where he was meant to be, not serving as a glorified policeman in the streets of Jerusalem – not overseeing the murder of an innocent man.

The Centurion recalled his first encounter with Jesus. Called to make sure that the crowds flocking to see Jesus didn’t riot, the captain became mesmerized by Jesus’s words.

A few weeks later back at his home in Capernaum his young servant Joshua became deathly ill. Having earlier been notified that Jesus had entered town, he rushed to find him.

Jesus sat in the square speaking to his followers. As a gesture of respect, the Centurion removed his feathered helmet and knelt on one knee. Jesus stared at him with eyes that penetrated his soul, as if he already knew why the captain was there.

He said, “I have a beloved servant who is dying, Lord, whom I know that you can save.”

Jesus’s countenance glowed as he stood up. “Shall I come and heal him?”

The Centurion was in awe that Jesus knew the servant was male and immediately understood his power. “I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, Lord. I know you only have to say the word, and the boy will be healed.”

Jesus turned to the others and exclaimed, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” The Centurion felt tears running from his eyes as Jesus spoke more to his followers and then looked down upon him saying, “Go home; your faith has healed the boy.”

There were no words to say, he the supposedly powerful leader humbled by this holy man so modestly dressed and unassuming. The captain of 100 men got to his feet and raced home, finding his other servants rejoicing and carrying the seemingly now healthy boy around the courtyard. One of his servants turned to him and said, “It’s a miracle!” The Centurion knew this to be true.

In another world he would have followed Jesus, laying down his sword forever; however, the Centurion knew he could never leave this life due to obligations and expectations. He did know in his heart that Jesus was more powerful than Caesar, even more powerful than his many Roman gods.

Now on the Skull Hill he learned that Jesus was indeed human and watched him slowly dying. When two women in black accompanied by a simply clad young man tried to approach the cross where Jesus suffered in the afternoon sun, his men blocked their path. The captain saw the women crying and knew that the one with such a radiant face was his mother.

He stepped forward and grabbed one of the soldiers by the arm. “This is his mother and her friends; let them pass.”

All the soldiers moved back at his commands, and as the women and man started walking toward the cross the mother turned to him and said, “God bless you.”

centurion 2 SOGThe Centurion quivered inside, feeling the blessing and knowing it came through her son from up above. He walked over to where his helmet lay on the ground, lifted it up, and reluctantly placed it on his head. His authority would be needed to see this moment through in case some of the soldiers would try to arrest the women and the man.

They stood looking up at Jesus, the mother falling to the ground and raising her arms to the sky. Jesus said something to her, and the Centurion struggled in vain to stop crying because with all his power there was nothing he could do for them.

*

Three days later he sat in his courtyard staring up at the blue sky. Joshua came to him with a tray of bread and fruit and a goblet of wine. Every time the Centurion looked at the boy he knew the truth about Jesus. “Thank you,” he said.

“Why do you look so sad, master?” asked the boy.

“Nothing, Joshua, go now, please.”

“Yes, master.” Joshua left him alone listening to the birds in the trees and feeling the ache inside him that would not go away.

He recalled how when Jesus died that the sky went black, that the earth shook, and the rain came down in torrents. He made sure that Jesus’s body was treated with respect afterwards, that it was released to a wealthy Jewish man who had secured a tomb for a proper burial.

The Centurion also recalled how members of the Sanhedrin had approached him expressing fear that someone would steal Jesus’s body and claim that he had risen from the dead. He was asked to place a guard at the tomb, which he reluctantly agreed to do.

He heard the gate open and Flavius, one of his soldiers, approached him. “Sir, I have news.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Jesus’s body is gone.”

The Centurion jumped up. “But the guard….”

“We were there, sir. No one came in or out, but somehow the huge stone at the entrance of the tomb had been rolled away.”

“That’s imposs-ible,” he muttered but then grasped what had happened.

“The Sanhedrin is asking that we conduct a search,” Flavius said.

The Centurion sat down, sipped his wine, and nodded. “Yes, conduct a search at once.”

“Yes, sir.”

Flavius left quickly and the Centurion stared up at the sky. He knew that where Jesus was going no one would ever find him.

Photo credits: foxnews, sonofgodmovie.com

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Changing the Way Schools Look – Alternatives to Traditional Grade Levels Can Enhance Instruction and Save Money

First appeared on Blogcritics.

We have all had our individual experiences going to school. Some of us went to traditionally aligned schools with grades K-8 in one building or had the experience of going to K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 schools and then on high schools. There are many various configurations out there, and one could argue that they are all valid depending on the district and the students it serves.

In a recent article in District Administration writer Jennifer Fink explores how “School leaders nationwide are exploring innovative group-level groupings and thinking beyond the typical K5 elementary school, grades 6 through 8 middle school and grades 9 through 12 high school model” mostly in order to save money. In doing so they are also uncovering the academic and social benefits that can be derived from this regrouping process.

As a parent who has sent his children to a K-8 school, the thing I appreciated most was that they were in the same building. Besides the comfort level there was also the convenience – dropping them off at different buildings would have been a hassle. I imagine many parents would agree with this as they bring their children to school and rush off to their hectic day ahead.

class-cnnAs a former school administrator who once oversaw two K-8 buildings, I sympathized with parents on that level but I also realized a salient truth – I could have done so much more for our students academically and socially and saved my school a good deal of money too.

I once made a proposal to the school board to reconfigure the two buildings as an upper and lower school. Since we shared special teachers between the two buildings already (physical education, art, music, foreign language, special education, and computer teachers) and our motto was “one school, two buildings,” this would have gone a long way to actually fulfilling the philosophy we espoused publicly.

Of course, the board politely took my idea under consideration because it included substantial savings. For example, in the K-8 model we had 4 first grade classes (two in each building) each with a small enrollment. In the lower school model I had proposed we would have had two classes in the same building with more reasonable enrollments, saving two teacher salaries. With the lower and upper school model (broken down K-4 and 5-8), a similar scenario could be projected all the way up to 8th grade.

Another mitigating factor in the drive to reconfigure classes was the no small matter of “us verse them” between the two buildings. My proposal highlighted the fact that we could say we were “one school, two buildings” all day long, but kids in Building One who never stepped foot in Building Two in nine years of attendance would be hard pressed to consider that their school too.

The teachers also had a similar philosophy, and as I walked around both buildings, I would frequently hear a teacher saying, “Well, we’re doing that because they’re doing it in the other school.” Note that it was not the “other building,” which would have at least promoted the semblance of unity as one school, but “the other school.” How could we expect kids to think of it as one school if the teachers did not?

Alas, despite the cost savings, the ability to get our children to experience student life in both buildings, and the actual fulfillment of our motto to be “one school, two buildings,” the board shot my proposal down because “parents summarily rejected it.” I understood it was about convenience – parents do not like having to drop their children off at two different buildings. I understood it was about losing teachers – parents knew the plan would eliminate staff they had grown to know and love. I understood it was about seeing change itself as negative – as a parent I know change in my kids’ school would be scary too.

Unfortunately, they didn’t see the benefits that would come with such a change in alignment. Besides the most obvious one of finally making the “one school, two buildings” motto a reality, there were many others. The savings on staff salaries would have gone directly into improving the school. We could have updated our computer labs and our physical education programs which both sorely needed upgrading. More importantly, we would have had funds to increase professional development for our teachers in order to meet the challenges of standards and curriculum.

If I had it to do all over again, I still would have advocated the change I proposed, but would have asked the school board to hold multiple meetings with parents to talk about the change extensively. Of course, there would have been emotional people vehemently opposed to the plan, and they should have been the ones we sat down with first. The parent-school relationship is the most important one if a school is going to be successful, and you cannot ask parents to buy-in to a plan without learning about it.

Changing the way grade levels are grouped is what is happening now in some school districts across the country. They are looking at creative ways to save crucial funds in order to be able to meet the ever growing and increasing needs of their students. However a district plans to regroup grade levels, the most important thing is to bring it to the attention of parents immediately and to highlight all the benefits that will come with the change. Parents will have hundreds of questions, and it will be necessary and compelling to have all the answers if the district wants the plan to succeed.

Sometimes it is a tough sell. Some parents went to the same schools their children now attend, and it is not only a refusal to accept change but a case of nostalgia – to alter the landscape of “their school” is a loss that they are unwilling to face or accept.

In the end parents, teachers, and administrators have the same ultimate goal – the best possible education for their children. Change for change’s sake is never advisable, but a realistic view of reconfiguring grade levels to meet the needs of students must be considered. When looking at all aspects of a change in configuration of a school building, this should be the only and highest priority.

Photo Credit: cnn

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Movie Review: Zootopia – Gorgeous Animation With An Important Message

First appeared on Blogcritics.

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I went into Disney’s new 3D animated Zootopia not expecting too much. When pulled into the theater by an enthusiastic 7 year old and being surrounded by the chatter from others in his demographic, I am usually prepared to put on the dark glasses and maybe catch a few winks, but I am happy to report that Zootopia won me over almost immediately and kept me there throughout the 108 minute run time.

The best way to describe Zootopia is visually gorgeous – its animation is rich and imaginative. Depicting a mammal paradise that seems like a theme park no doubt is Disney’s expertise, and there is nothing to disappoint here. A swift moving train takes you from one habitat to another – the frozen Tundratown, the especially parched Sahara Square, or the humid and always wet Rainforest District – and makes you think of a new Disney destination in the making.

But at the heart of the film is the story and here it centers on the hyper, energetic, and easy to like Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) who faces discrimination as she tries to become the first bunny on the police force. With subtle but clear indications that she is not all that wanted, especially by gruff water buffalo Chief Bogo (Idris Elba), Hopps is given a sort of probation and must crack the case of a missing otter in order to stay on the force.

This leads to an unlikely partnership with slick as they come sly fox Nick Wilde (a hilarious Jason Bateman) who offers to help her with his own brand of sniffing out the clues. The relationship between this predator and prey is important because it shows how the metropolis of Zootopia brings all mammals together in harmony, but also indicates the underlying prejudice simmering beneath the surface – the suspicion by the majority prey population that the predators are really not that docile after all.

As Hopps and Wilde start to investigate, there are wonderful moments that the kids will probably miss but the adults will appreciate – nods to The Godfather, Breaking Bad, and Chinatown are subtly slick but fun for the kids anyway.

There is also the actual investigation that gets more interesting – we discover 13 predators besides the otter are missing. Hopps and Wilde uncover a pernicious plot that is meant to play on the fears and prejudices of the prey and create a new city without predators in the mix. Anyone watching the presidential debates will recognize parallels to what is going on here.

It isn’t often that an animated film takes on topics like diversity, feminism, and corruption, but Zootopia does just that while remaining entertaining and delightful. The film never gets overly heavy – credit Michael Giacchino’s musical score for avoiding the cue of violins to invoke sadness during emotional moments – and instead opts for an upbeat music that follows the energizer personality of our heroine bunny Hopps.

We meet funny if slightly shady characters along the way – Mayor Lionheart (J.K. Simmons) a somewhat corrupt lion, Assistant Mayor Bellwether (Jenny Slate) an overworked lamb, and Yak the Yak (Tommy Chong) a stoned and bug infested yak who add to the mix and the mystery.

gallery_zootopia_easteregg_3_c1c99004But the key to this film working is the buddy relationship that develops between Hopps and Wilde. Goodwin and Bateman never drop the ball as they keep things going on what almost seems like an ad-libbed level, even during a prolonged sequence at the DMV where all the workers are ultra-slow moving sloths. This hilarious commentary on the typical experience for most people when they go to renew their licenses or registration is just the tip of the iceberg Disney is exposing here.

gallery_zootopia_easteregg_2_23f0026eThe message of Zootopia seems particularly poignant at this time and place in history. While people circle political wagons and expose the ugly side of America during this year’s race for the White House, the film stresses the need to find a way to inclusivity and equity for all – in this case the mammals of Zootopia, despite some who wish to exploit prejudice and fear to exclude others and strengthen their power.

This is a rather large hurdle that directors Byron Howard (Tangled) and Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) and co-director Jared Bush seem more than able to clear. They have found the right formula to send their message while giving us visually sumptuous animation, a story and characters kids will love, and enough dangling carrots to keep the adults happy.

Zootopia isn’t your parents’ Disney animated film – it’s yours and your kids’ – and it knocks the ball out of the park. Take your little ones by their hands and go to see it and prepare to be delighted and amazed.

Photo credits: Disney.com

Monday, March 14, 2016

TV Review: The Walking Dead – “The Same Boat”

First appeared on Blogcritics.

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*This review contains spoilers.

There comes a point in a TV series where all that has come before can be encapsulated in an episode, even if all the main characters are not present. Such is the case for season 6 episode 13 “The Same Boat,” which focuses on Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Carol (Melissa McBride) after they have been abducted by a splinter group of the Saviors. The heft of what the group has done to survive collides head-on with the ramifications of those actions, leaving a grisly feeling that the worst is yet to come.

Looking back on previous episodes and seasons, the survivors in our group led by former sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) have become increasingly adept at being killers – this by nature of the series landscape means the killing of living people. One can argue that when they dispatch the walkers (the reanimated corpses) they are not killing but that may also be grasping at straws. In either case our survivors have become inured to the procedural they must follow – it is kill or be killed.

What makes “The Same Boat” so compelling is that Maggie and Carol have been imprisoned by three female Saviors and one male. Donnie (Russ Blackwell) has been shot in the arm by Carol, who suddenly has developed something of a conscience and is even keeping a list of her human kills. The old Carol would have shot him in the head and been done with it. The leader of this group is Paula (in a towering performance by guest star Alicia Witt) and she and her other female cohorts are running the show with Donnie in the shadows moaning about his wound.

With Carol and Maggie bound and gagged, we get some background on these Saviors. An older woman named Molls (Jill jane Clements) is coughing up blood and still smoking cigarettes, and the younger one Michelle (Jeananne Goossen) is a good soldier following Paula’s lead. When Carol starts up an act of hyperventilating, they all marvel at how she has survived this long. Carol is asked what she is afraid of, and most of us who have come to know and love Carol would usually say “Nothing,” but that kill list seems to be coming back to haunt Carol like Marley’s Ghost.

We learned about the Survivors earlier in the season when a group of them stopped Abraham (Michael Cudlitz), Daryl (Norman Reedus), and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) on the road and threatened their lives. Daryl’s quick thinking and use of an RPG stopped and pulverized that bunch, but this is how they learned about the Saviors and their leader Negan. Later on when the survivors went to the Hilltop community and made a deal for food, the stage was set for Rick and company to eliminate the Survivors as part of the bargain.

Last week a firefight in an abandoned satellite station left at least 40 or more Survivors dead, but Paula and her group witnessed this and took Maggie and Carol hostage. Rick had a bargaining chip though – a Survivor named Primo (Jimmy Gonzalez) who apparently has medical skills, ones Paula needs to patch up good old cranky Donnie.

What happens inside the makeshift prison (an old animal slaughterhouse) is a game of cat and mouse – or in the case of Carol and Paula it could be argued a match of cat verses cat. Melissa McBride (it is inconceivable that she has yet to receive an Emmy nomination for her amazing work in this role) pulls out all the stops, making us wonder if Carol is heading off the deep end. Even Maggie is not certain what’s happening when Carol reveals to their captors that she is pregnant. Is this a calculated risk or just a case of Carol losing it?

Alicia Witt matches McBride in the intensity of her portrayal of Paula, a woman who is literally and figuratively in the same boat as Carol – Paula lost her husband and four daughters. While Carol seems to be developing an aversion to killing, Paula has no such luxury – it’s survival of the fittest and the Saviors apparently do that well (at least until they encountered Rick and company).

The episode brings up some serious questions about this post-apocalyptic world where zombies roam and humans must do despicably inhumane things in order to avoid becoming one of the undead. Pitting females against each other raises the bar in what seems to still be a man’s world – Rick is our group’s leader and Negan leads the Survivors. Still, there is room for female empowerment as witnessed here, as long as the women are willing to get with the program.

the-walking-dead-episode-613-carol-mcbride-658As a formerly battered wife, we have watched Carol evolve into commando, cookie maker, and shrewd character who plays the part she knows others want her to be. While we think we know the real Carol – the one who tells Lizzie to smell the flowers before putting a bullet in her head – this episode makes us question everything.

Cohan as Maggie also registers a strong performance and one that continues the exploration of femininity after the zombie horde. Michelle takes her into another room to interrogate her, but just as Carol and Paula are in the same boat we find so too are these younger women – both have lost their fathers. Michelle actually reveals much more to Maggie than Maggie lets her know – Michelle also lost a baby and its father was killed by Daryl. Maggie insists that having the baby is the right choice, but Michelle feels that she is deluding herself.

Michelle tells Maggie, “You’re not the good guys.” Now, we know Maggie and Carol and Rick and Glenn and the rest. We have been with them for these six seasons, and we have invested enough emotional capital that we want them to still be the good guys, but each week they are forced to do reprehensible things – like killing Saviors in their sleep last week. Still, when Glenn looks at the Polaroids on the wall, he sees that they are taking pictures of humans with bashed in skulls – so what level of good you are is contingent on not just how you kill but how you live.

the-walking-dead-episode-613-paula-witt-935When Paula realizes too late that Carol was putting on an act she asks her what she was so afraid of, and as Carol points a gun at her she says, “I was afraid of this.” So perhaps Carol has hit a breaking point, but in the end Maggie and Carol manage to kill their captors, and Paula is dispatched by a walker after a fight with Carol. Her demise brings a whole new meaning to the term “sucking face.”

When other Survivors arrive on the scene to rescue Paula, Carol and Maggie lure them into a “Kill Room” where they do just that. Having already spilled gasoline on the floor, Carol throws in her cigarette and they lock the door. It is clear that both women have reached the end of the road with this act – but there is no going back now, not for Maggie and Carol, and not for anyone else who still lives in these grim times.

When Rick, Glenn, and company arrive on the scene, Carol falls into Daryl’s arms (I know, we have been waiting for that one) and Maggie into Glenn’s. Rick is dragging Primo along and asks about Negan, and Primo cockily says that he is Negan. Rick does not bat an eye as he puts a bullet in the guy’s head. Carol watches this execution and you can tell she is thinking, “What have we become?”

To backtrack a little during their captivity Maggie and Carol asked about Negan, and Molls said, “We are all Negan.” Now, many of those who read the comics or know about casting news know that there is a Negan character coming soon to a TV screen near you. Still, the concept that they are all representative of their leader sounds a little like they have been drinking Jim Jones Kool-Aid.

The real Negan is going to have a bone to pick with Rick and his group, who by my calculation have now killed at least 60 Saviors. We can imagine that Negan is going to want a pound of flesh, and the question is how far Rick and company will have to go to stop him. Or perhaps that is not a question at all. Carol was like Paula; Maggie was like Michelle, and we can surmise Rick and Negan are more alike than different – after all, now we know they are all in the same boat, but after the end of the world wouldn’t we all be?

Photo credits: AMC

Saturday, March 12, 2016

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Going Dairy-Free

First appeared on Blogcritics.

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It has to be one of the hardest things I have ever done – going completely dairy-free. My personal reason for giving up milk and all the delicious associated products made from it is simple: I am allergic. After all these years of not understanding why I couldn’t breathe well and thinking it was hay fever or a cold, I now understand that dairy had been my undoing.

Going to the ENT was an act of desperation. I was so congested that sleeping had become almost impossible. Walking around all day like a zombie from lack of sleep does something to you, and not being able to breathe right was an added burden driving me bonkers.

A very annoying allergy test on my arm revealed some little bumps that made my skin crawl. The nurse said not to scratch them as I waited 20 minutes, but as I watched their slow manifestation I wanted to leap out of the chair and scrape sandpaper over my arm. Luckily, I had my iPhone and started looking at CNN, and the time went by slowly and uncomfortably.

When it was over I found out that I am allergic to cats, weed pollen, house mite dust (who knew they had dust?), and a number of other things – but when I heard “milk” I almost fell off the chair. How was I suppose to go through Lent without pizza on Fridays? How could I live without cheese on my sandwiches, butter on my pancakes, or that ice cream cone in the park?

31QDyILMD0L.AA220_PIbundle-12,TopRight,0,0_AA220_SH20_Still reality sets in and as I drove home from the doctor I vowed to make an attempt at this new lifestyle. I went online and researched some alternatives – soy products, almond milk, rice milk, and so on. I went out and made some purchases, and after three weeks I have found some products that are better than others – the Go Veggie line of cheese substitute products are amazing. There are other faux cheese products that taste like shredded cardboard.

Of course, a big issue was the liquid stuff with which I am used to drowning my Corn Flakes and stirring into coffee. After trying soy, rice, coconut, and almond milk, I settled on almond with vanilla flavoring. It tastes the best in coffee and on cereal.

As for my need for ice cream, I tested a few different ones and found that  rice milk frozen desserts tend to be the best and most like real ice cream; the others all taste a little chalky. To be honest, none of them are like the creamy Breyers ice cream that I knew and loved.

I am still trying to find my way in this dairy-free world, but I am breathing better than I have in years. The added bonus is that I have lost nine pounds since starting this diet. The truth is I feel much less bloated now than when I was sucking done a milkshake or chowing down on a pizza smothered in cheese.

As an important experiment, last night I discreetly made a cheese-free pizza. I bought the dough, sauce, and Go Veggie shredded mozzarella substitute and got to work. My biggest fear was that the shreds would not melt like real cheese (though the writing on the package claimed that they would). 20 minutes later the pie came out of the oven looking like any other pizza pie I have ever made.

The true test was my kids – and they happily ate their slices and had no clue. I sank my teeth into a slice and it tasted just like the real thing. I rejoiced – with this faux mozzarella cheese I can have my pizza and eat it too!

The trick in this diet is to be careful when going out. Last week at my favorite Italian restaurant, I had to go down the list of appetizers with the waiter – discovering there was some kind of cheese in almost everything. I settled on a shrimp appetizer and for my main course I got chicken parmesan without the cheese – I know, that’s like coffee without the caffeine, but it still tasted great.

When deserts were served, people at my table got cakes with dollops of cream, cheesecake, cannoli, or bowls of ice cream. I settled for lemon sorbet, but I while I was a little envious of people being able to eat those dairy-based things, I was okay with it and the sorbet happened to be delicious.

Dairy-free is not an easy lifestyle because you don’t realize how many things have milk or 
milk products in them (like delicious chocolate), but once you understand the playing field you can take the ball, avoid the hulking dairy defenders, and keep heading for the end zone. Overall, for me being able to breathe better and feel better is the goal and well worth it.

Photo credits: Amazon

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Lamenting the Lack of Presidential Timber in Presidential Race

First appeared on Blogcritics.


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I have written before about “presidential timber” or the lack thereof; however, I have never been this despondent regarding the candidates running for the highest office in the land. At this juncture I sadly must say that there is not one candidacy that I can support, and the only “timber” I can associate with the current crop of presidential wannabees is the sound of falling trees.

Looking at the Republican side of things, it has sort of been the case of a Ten Little Indians scenario – and hoping "then there will be none" is nothing but wishful thinking. The Democratic side is no less bothersome – questions about Mrs. Clinton possibly being indicted over the email scandal haunt her candidacy. Mr. Sanders, according to the polls, doesn’t stand a chance against her no matter how much rhetoric is spewed regarding her ethics. ‘Tis a muddle, a muddle indeed.

694940094001_4786485147001_6cee6178-4f73-4177-915d-4ace8b24946fWatching the last GOP candidate debate was a painful experience. Never in my life have I seen discourse so un-presidential. For it to degenerate so steeply into territory regarding Mr. Trump’s anatomy is repugnant – my children are watching this – and the general demeanor of three of the four candidates is like punks in the school yard. Mr. Kasich seems reasonable but somewhat reserved, and he simply doesn’t stand a chance to get enough delegates. These other fellows (Mr. Cruz, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Trump) are not presidential timber – they’re not even presidential twigs.

The two Democratic candidates are not much better. Mr. Sanders promised not to make personal attacks against Mrs. Clinton and then proceeded to launch into them. I understand he is fighting for survival in the race, but what happened to a campaign of integrity regarding the most important issues? It is certainly not Mrs. Clinton’s emails, her Wall Street speaking fees, or her husband Bill.

Mrs. Clinton has done nothing to help herself. The email matter could have been diffused last year, but she tossed it aside like an old shoe that now continues to hit her over the head. More importantly, she refuses to disclose the texts of her Wall Street speeches that netted her huge fees. What the hell could she say that would be worth $675,000 a pop?

bernie-sanders_650x400_41453087327So I am not even at a crossroads at this point because there are no candidates that impress me. Sanders almost gets me there, but all his promises are like what you tell a girl on the first date, and by the time you get to the fifth or sixth date, she knows you’re full of horse manure.  Trump at first impressed me as having no ties to anyone, but now he is like playing a caricature of himself. Truthfully, they do his shtick better on Saturday Night Live where we can laugh about him because it is not real.

Perhaps that’s the point of all this – the election is eight months away and none of this seems real to me. We are dealing with candidates who are like the Three Stooges on the Republican side and Lady Macbeth and Woodie Guthrie (hey, Bernie recorded an album if you didn’t know) on the Democratic side. All may be vicariously entertaining in some ways, but I wouldn’t want any of them as president.

Between now and November someone is going to have to step up and do something to get my vote. Perhaps a rogue third party candidate can sweep in – and no, not Mitt (I lost one election already) Romney or Al (I invented the Internet) Gore – and impress the populace as really being presidential timber. That’s a long-shot at this point in the process, but I have to tell myself there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Please, there has to be.

For now there are just too many debates full of sound and fury and signifying not much of anything. How do I answer my children when they ask about how is it possible that one of these candidates could become president? At this point I have no idea because I cannot even answer that for myself.

Photo credits: cnn, foxnews, nbc