I'm not with them.

Sometimes I'm absolutely shocked that I belong to the same species as other human beings. Especially when they are in the same age group as me, but really overall, I just feel like I'm some sort of anomaly amongst people in general. This really comes up during election times, as I am decidedly in the middle while seemingly every other person I know is extreme in one direction or the other. It's not just that they are liberal or conservative, it's with that comes the resolute, single mindedness that makes politics a field I'm not remotely interested in.

The amazing thing I find is that you have two different sides who honestly believe that this one candidate will lead us to a glorious future while the other will lead us to ruin. There are no other options. That is simply the way it is. Of course both sides believe this, which means in all likelihood both are right and both are wrong to a certain degree.

That doesn't stop them from accepting no alternatives, from belittling candidates for things that they honestly probably don't understand, from saying "candidate A is clearly a liar, but candidate B has the best interest out for the American people." In my opinion, both candidates are liars. It's their nature, and they will say whatever it requires to be elected.

Sadly at this point, the key is finding which candidate fits your ideals the most and then choosing from there. There is no such thing as the perfect candidate (or in my opinion, a good candidate) so your best alternative is choosing the lesser of two evils. Whoever that is happens to be your best fit, but acting like Obama is the second coming of Christ himself or that McCain is the cure to all of our ills is going to be received with a shake of the head and a scrunched face from me.

Also, seriously people, destroying public property and causing riots at the Republican National Convention to show how you feel about the poltical system and war? Is that really necessary? I've been reading people defending those characters in Minneapolis by stating the Constitution allows for people to assemble. Yes it does, but if that coincides with the assembled groups breaking very logical and understandable laws (such as throwing bricks through businesses' windows and forming human chains on off ramps to block traffic) then you're going to get some tear gas thrown at you. Deservedly. Don't drop any "don't tase me bro" lines either, because you've earned it in this case.

I guess the point of all of this is for the first time in my 24 years of existence I want to vote, but the more I get involved with the whole process the more sickened I get. The more I feel disconnected from my age group and everyone around me as a whole. Maybe that's why young people are considered so apathetic when it comes to politics. All I know is every day closer to November 4th is just adding legitimacy to my joke of "I'm voting for Belichick/Brady '08." Better the devil you know, I say.