Wednesday, January 2, 2008

1-2-08: First Day Back; FOX Forum

I survived. I don't know how, or why, but I did. Let's just say the past few days have been murder on my body clock. And this morning, at 1:15AM, it decided that it was time for me to wake up, after about 3.5 hours of sleep. So, for 3 hours, I stayed awake, then finally managed to fall asleep until 6:30AM. Hopefully tonight will go better.

I do like my job. I came to that realization this vacation. I knew I liked it before, but I realized just last week that right now I'd rather be doing what I am than most other jobs. Sure, a cozy job at Google might be cute and all, but working for the Department of Defense has its perks. It's an interesting work place.

One of my co-workers came back today from a 6.5 week vacation. He took all of his vacation at the end of the year. I can't imagine coming back from that, but he does it pretty much every year. But, if you think about it, that's a really good idea. It gives you something to look forward to every year, and it's so long that by the end of it you actually WANT to go back to work. That's not half bad. When I get that much vacation time, I might just do that. For now, though, I'll use my three weeks wisely.

Tomorrow is the Iowa Caucus. I did a tiny bit of reading on the process, and listened to a bit on NPR about it. To be honest, it seems almost too archaic to even be genuine. No potential for absentee balloting is just strange. So members of the Armed Forces and students who can't make it to the caucuses simply don't have a say. Yet, they vote in the election next year. Isn't that just ass-backwards? I'm glad Connecticut does a traditional primary. I do miss the New Hampshire Primary, though. Growing up with that was interesting.

Any one want to do an over/under on any long-shot candidates? How does 1.5% sound for Alan Keyes in New Hampshire? Poor guy never gets a fair shake.

Speaking of not getting a fair shake, did you hear about the FOX Forum coming up right before the NH Primary? They're limiting it to candidates with double-digit polling figures. What kind of bullshit is that? They say it's due to "limited studio space". Limited. Studio. Space. You can't be serious. This is just blatantly wrong on FOX's part. You can't cut out low-polling candidates before an official primary. It's just wrong. Now they have virtually no shot at having their voices heard. And how reliable are polls anyway? Without a clear front-runner, it would make sense to have ALL the candidates represented. How can you possibly say you are Fair and Balanced if your balancing involves unreliable polls? It's just stupid, and I'd rather not see one at all than one deliberately set up to eliminate the long-shot candidates like Ron Paul, Alan Keyes, and Duncan Hunter. FOX should be ashamed. Get a bigger bus, FOX. I'm sure you can find the money somewhere. There's absolutely no way I'm watching the program, and I encourage you to boycott it as well.

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