When the Moral Compass Started to Swing

Years ago, when the Honorable Carl Sanders was opposed by Jimmy Carter for Governor of Georgia Mr. Sanders made a fatal mistake in his campaign. His television ad pictured him sitting on a stool in a long-sleeved white shirt. He then proceeded to roll up his sleeves and the mud slinging began. Jimmy Carter did not participate in the mud slinging thus won handily in that political race. Georgians, at that time, would not tolerate nasty campaigns. Now nasty campaigns are the normal thing to do but some of us are still turned off by candidates that sling mud rather than be honest about what they can and cannot do. It could be that they have no platform therefore, mud slinging is all they can do. I, for one, will be so relieved when voting day has come and gone. The endless commercials, the nastiness and the background digging inundate the airwaves and it is almost impossible to escape it. What if the voters decided they had had enough of the underhanded tactics used for re-election or election and no one showed up at the polls, would it force those running for office to change their tactics?
And speaking of politics do any of you remember when Jimmy Carter said he lusted in his heart? Do you remember the reaction to that statement? Then there was Gary Hart; his antics promptly ended his political career. My how our values have changed. I, for one, did not get to upset when President Clinton was caught having affairs, after all he is just a man. However, we seem to hold higher standards, or at least we did, for those in public office. What happened? Today it seems ok with us if senators proposition aides of the same sex or top officials commit treason or CIA operatives are outed for political gain or retaliation. Then there are your religious leaders who should be above reproach but turn out to be just a fallible as regular folks. The recent expose’ of the religious leader from Colorado is a fine example of these people believing their own press releases. Instead of representing God they think they become God. We, however, seem to take it all in stride. Is it apathy or have our collective moral compasses swung so far that nothing phases us anymore?
Friday morning I paid a visit to the yard sale/flea market on Buena Vista. What a collection of stuff they had. Old tools, porcelains, toys, cookware, mechanical banks and so much more. I especially enjoyed the mystery boxes. For a couple of bucks one may purchase a sealed box filled to the brim with goodies. The majority of it was usable and what was not could be discarded but for two or three dollars it was just so much fun to explore it. I think I’ll go back this next week and I’m even thinking about joining the fun.
The renovations on the corner of Bluff and Meridian are progressing. It won’t be too much longer before it is livable. As soon as I catch them working again an update is in order.