As the political season heats up, along with the planet, I have spent an inordinate amount of time reading blogs, watching videos and late night television. I watched both conventions, and tried to follow the commentary, but I found that I was just getting angry. To start, I’ll admit that I’m more liberal than conservative, but I try to be open to the best idea. I am sad that our country was attacked 7 years ago, but I am sadder that during these last 7 years, it seems that our great nation has become not so great.

I remember the morning of 9/11 vividly starting with a phone call from my husband saying that something had happened in New York and that I should turn on the TV. I then became mesmerized by watching the chaos and the towers fall. I didn’t go to work that day, partly out of fear, because my office building was near the Space Needle, a supposed target, and also out of the pure shock of the situation. I couldn’t stop watching.

Mind you, my birthday is 9/10 and I remember having an okay day back in 2001, but it wasn’t a particularly memorable birthday for me. Then, to wake up and have the world turned upside down the next day was just incredible.

Back in 2001, I was happy to have George W. Bush as our president, even though I didn’t vote for him, because he seemed to be the right person to help us heal as a nation. However, as time went on and suddenly Iraq was the focus of our military interest, my feelings changed. Everything about the war in Iraq makes me mad. The fact that our country has lost the deep allies it once had, makes me mad. The fact that thousands of men and women have lost their lives fighting a war that shouldn’t have been, makes me mad. The fact that in the election this year, the media is covering words taken out of context regarding a pig, also, makes me mad.

In my constant engagement with the politics this year, I wanted to share a few gems I have watched this week.

The first from The Late Show with David Letterman is an interview with Thomas Friedman, the author of The World is Flat and his new book Hot, Flat and Crowded. I’ve always been a Dave Letterman fan, but my opinion of him as a good citizen of this world is even more confirmed when he gets serious about a topic. No doubt he is a funny man, but when he hosts an interview like this, he shows how much he cares about the world around him. I also like this video because it makes me more excited about reading both of Thomas Friedman’s books. Until now, I’ve just enjoyed his op-eds.

The second series of video is from The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson last night regarding voting. To quote him, “If you don’t vote, you’re a moron.” Craig is a naturalized citizen and he seems to care more for this country than the statistics about our voting numbers show. You can hear about that in the second video.

My goal with this post is not to sway your political beliefs, but I do recognize that there is a lot of information out there and it’s hard to decipher the good from the bad. In my opinion, it is critical that each person does their own research to determine who the most qualified person to lead this nation is. Isn’t that what recruiting is all about? The goal is to find the most appropriate, and most qualified, individual to fill the open position regardless of sex, race, nationality, age, sexual orientation, color, etc. The person should be a good fit.

So as you march forward through the days leading up to November 4, I hope that you follow your heart, pay attention to what is being said and by whom, and vote your conscience. We’re all in this together for better or worse. My hope is that we are in it for the better.

– Kari Quaas

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