Rhetorical Musings

I just sent a comment to my eldest daughter's blog. In it, I referred to the vituperative rhetoric in the current presidential campaign. I am somewhere in this awful middle ground which is worse than any limbo. I am conservative when it comes to finances, but I support some social programs. As I get older, I believe more and more that government is not the answer, so socialism is not my cup of tea.
My daughter is frustrated and angered by the "Kill him" comment made by an audience member at a Sarah Palin rally. I found some media coverage of the incident, coverage that I felt was not conservative b.s., and I included the link. In the article and linked videos, discerning the audience shouts is not so simple. Of course Palin attempts to elicit response--that is her job. I also pointed out some negative campaigning in which the democrats have engaged, and I closed suggesting neither side nor any politician is particularly innocent. Now I worry that she will only see my comment as some challenge to her ability to interpret her world.
I too am upset by the election and the statistics and half truths we Americans are fed every four years. I am tired of making voting decisions on the basis of the lesser evil. Looking for info on the Florida rally, I came across a local article on my mother-in-law's parish and a sermon their new priest gave this past Sunday. A union leader, a lifelong Catholic and a democrat, accused the priest of comparing Obama to Hitler in a reference to the pro-life issue. According to this man, the priest also said that people who vote for Obama would be condemned by the church. The union man was so angered that he stood up and challenged the priest and then left the service. Later in the article, the writer reports that the printed copy of the sermon did not make that particular reference. The reporter in turn asked the priest if he wavered from the written text, and the priest claimed he did not. He also added that he would not make the statement about church condemnation because it is not true. The original accuser stuck by his story. I know a little about the priest, a convert from Judaism and a latecomer to the vocation--39 and just ordained. My mother-in-law really likes him. I noticed that the reporter did not interview other parishioners, so all that we have is a "he said; he said." There was more to the article. Of course I pick out what suits my purpose, but then EVERYBODY DOES. I keep thinking of incidents I have witnessed and then read about in some media outlet. I am always amazed at how skewed the story becomes.
Now I am rambling and I have only 4 hours left to sleep tonight. No solution to this uneasiness right now.