This? Is What Happens in a "Bridge Year".

Maybe it's because the Red Sox are, in every logical and practical sense, out of it.

Or it could be Trot finally pushed me over the edge and I've at long last lost the final vestige of my sanity.

Worse case scenario? I finally grew up and realized there's more to life than baseball games and beating the Yankees.

Nah, it's either #1 or #2.

For the last couple of years I've been TRYING to keep up with current events that don't involve a box score. (Don't get me wrong; the box score is still the FIRST thing I check each day; I'm just trying to be a little more well rounded.)

And typically my comments on politics have usually been "they're all crooks" and left it at that. But as my kids get older I wonder about what kind of world they'll be living in a few short years from now and are they better off than I was at their age. And the one big thing that scares me to no end is the absolute hatred, racism, bigotry, and class warfare I read about every stinking day.

Two years ago this country elected an African American as President. Yet there are still those who are trying to convince people he's Muslim. In a country, that IN MY LIFETIME had separate water fountains for different races, where there are people screaming to the mountain tops that he was only elected BECAUSE he is black. (Think about THAT one for a minute.)

"Ship 'em all back to Mexico where they belong!" Where my store is located, our clientele is about 50% African American, 25% Hispanic, and 25% white. Yet I actually had someone call me today and ask if the Tea Party candidate for Senate could stage a rally IN OUR PARKING LOT. On a SATURDAY. My first inclination was to ask this person if they were under the influence of heroin but thankfully I thought better of it.

Personally, I could care less if you are a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent, or from Mars. One of the greatest things about this country is everybody has a right, a natural right, to have their own opinion. If Red Sox and Yankee fans can sit down and break bread together and not end up beating each other into oblivion then anything is possible.

What I DO have issues with is this; to those who trumpet the "Close our borders" anthem while draping themselves in the American Flag and the Bible while they holler about Family Values and scream themselves hoarse about the virtues of America?

A. Do you ever stop to think that OUR ancestors, and not that freaking long ago, got on a boat, in ANOTHER COUNTRY, and sailed across the sea to get here? And that there were people ALREADY LIVING HERE AT THE TIME?

B. The Bible is pretty clear about how God views this whole "Immigration" issue. With many thanks to my buddy Josh for the Scripture (those of you who know Josh? Buy some smelling salts. I'm just sayin'. And don't click on his link if you are easily offended.)

//Leviticus 19:34 (NIV): The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.//

//Exodus 22:21 (NIV): Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.//

I really don't have any idea what my point here is. It's late, I'm exhausted, and I've been sitting here for the last 10 minutes wondering if Trot is going to wake up at 3 a.m. in a puddle of urine and then ask me if he can have a piece of cheese.

What I do know is this; history is littered with examples of the terrible consequences of blindly following the herd and most of the time the squeaky wheel may get the grease.

But it don't mean the grease fixes the problem.