Yes We Can!

A myriad bubbles were floating on the surface of a stream. ‘What are you?’ I cried to them as they drifted by. ‘I am a bubble, of course’ nearly a myriad bubbles answered, and there was surprise and indignation in their voices as they passed.

But, here and there, a lonely bubble answered, ‘We are this stream’, and there was neither surprise nor indignation in their voices, but just a quiet certitude.

— from Ask the Awakened by Wei Wu Wei

No Signs of the Times?

What happened to all the political yard signs?  

At first I thought that Hurricane Ike blew them away. Still with only a month left until the election, I see very few yard signs or even bumper stickers for any of the candidates — presidential, Congressional, Republican, Democrat or otherwise. 

During my suburban safaris, I observed a single generic sign espousing the need for “Democratic Change.”  I saw one Obama bumper sticker in my rear view mirror. But other than that — nada — as if the election suddenly became a figment of our collective imagination — or, more likely, nightmares!

If this signless situation only occurred in post-Ike districts, I would understand. But a friend who resides in the progressive Northwest also bemoaned the lack of bumper stickers for Obama. One Daily Kos blogger lamented that his local Obama headquarters lacked any yard signs for distribution. And, the dearth of political paraphernalia not only dogs Democrats. I’ve yet to see a McCain-Palin sign or sticker in our red collar community where Tom DeLay once gerrymandered himself into our district.

What gives? Are the US voters totally burnt out on the election only hours from the finish line?  Did the interminable and insufferable primary season with its 24/7 cable news rantings cause candidate ennui?  

Or with the the energy crisis, Wall Street meltdown, foreclosures, natural disasters, has our country’s hope simply slithered away?

Or, perhaps all this tedious blathering about “Change” has left all of us all bored totally out of our freaking minds!!!