It’s worth mentioning, though, that I put together a large “to do” list for myself during this vacation. That’s right – I have tasks to complete during my time away from the office. I’m not going away on a vacation, I’m doing one of these newly popular “staycation” things where I stay around my house for a week. I’m doing this partly out of necessity (while I’m on vacation from my day job, I still have to teach twice this week) and partly due to the tremendous cost savings associated with not going away. Initially, I wanted to take a few days and go down to Nashville. Then I realized that I would go down to Nashville and spend a bunch of money on a flight only to get down there and wind up doing more work for the national Board that I sit on. I figured that I can do that from home so why spend the money on the flight?

To keep busy over the next few days, I’ve given myself four small pages of notes on things that need to be addressed. Everything from figuring out the problem with my truck to reading a stack of the books that are sitting in my room to making certain foods that I like to getting ready for next week’s classes that I have to teach.

It’ll be a busy, yet somehow relaxing week!

With such an historic campaign there are a few things that we do NOT need this time around. First and foremost, I get physically ill every time I hear Barack Obama say that John McCain is running for George Bush’s third term. What a disgusting catchphase to use in this “historic” election! John McCain is John McCain. George Bush is George Bush. John McCain is running for his first term. Obama’s comparison of John McCain to George Bush is obviously rooted in politics and polls since most of the nation is sick of Bush at this point and the Obama team is trying to capitalize on that disgust. THIS is the new politics that Obama promised? Count me out, thank you. As soon as I heard these words come out of Obama’s mouth, I immediately shut off my brain from listening to any other drivel come out of this man.

But lo and behold the brain trust running McCain’s campaign goes out and tells McCain to say that Obama is running for Jimmy Carter’s second term! Good grief! Is this the John McCain that ran as a maverick politician in 2000 and has based his entire political career off of doing what he believed was right over what his political party believed was right? THIS is what I can expect from John McCain going forward? No thanks. At this point, you can count me out. This is NOT the new politics that these men promised America and I urge everyone else who wants true change to withdraw support from either candidate until they stop throwing this type of mud.

The disguised shots at McCain’s age and the pathetic shots at Obama’s personal advisors are all too much to bear. I encourage everyone to start exploring third party candidates if they are really looking for change this year. For starters, go and take a look at Bob Barr – the Libertarian Party candidate.

Change doesn’t mean voting for the same party or a candidate with flowery speeches, folks. Change means using YOUR vote to make a REAL change in America.