Some random thoughts.

Does all the celebrating that has taken place in this country since the killing of Osama Bin Laden make you a bit uncomfortable? There is no doubt the man deserved death, being a mass murderer and avowed enemy of America, but some people’s reaction to it seems far less than exemplary. It reminds me a bit of how some extremists reacted to the terrorist attacks in America, and I cannot help thinking that descending to that low level makes it difficult for a country to maintain the high moral ground.

So now our esteemed governor has decided not to return millions of dollars that was given to the state for the purpose of constructing another tunnel beneath the Hudson River connecting New York and New Jersey. The governor cancelled plans for the tunnel, but has decided to keep the money anyway. The federal government is demanding the money back, as they have the moral and legal right to do, but I have the feeling that money has already been spent. I cannot help but root for the federal government to cut the bully governor down to size this time.

What does the word NEWS mean to you? Items of interest that are relatively new? I would think so, but the past few days many media outlets have spent hour after hour after hour repeating the news about the death of Bin laden, while revisiting again and again and again the horrible details of September 11, 2001. What exactly was news about any of that after it was initially reported on Sunday night? Or does it mean the news media are so incompetent they do not know the difference between NEWS and REPETITION?

Whatever happened to the Republic party of Ronald Reagan? Are they really going to choose a presidential candidate from among Donald Trump, Sarah Palin and Chris Christie? God help us if anyone of them actually becomes president! And is the Republican campaign really going to consist of catering to right-wing Tea Party voters? What happened to all the moderate Republicans of previous years? Have they all fled the coup and become independents?

I consider myself a moderate and an independent, but with most of my fellow moderates also choosing that position, it seems that the primary campaigns will be between right wing Republicans and left wing Democrats, leaving we moderates (who probably constitute the majority of the electorate) without any real candidates in the general election. Perhaps it is time for a real third party, not the farcical Tea Party, but a party of moderates who tend to be fiscally conservative but broad-minded enough to be concerned about the future of the country rather than only our immediate concerns and screw our grandchildren in the process!

Anybody ready to join me in this?