Rant for the day....

I am so F'ing sick of this anal retentive judgmental society. I am so F'ing sick of the holier-than-thou set who seem to think judging others is better than sex. I am so F'ing sick of people so anxious to find fault that they've conveniently forgotten about any missteps they may have made in their own lives.

Yes I'm mad... and I'm venting... in my own inimitable Italian way. I usually try to stay balanced here, but sometimes I've just gotta blow off some steam! 8) I'm fully aware that there is a large spectrum of opinion and I try hard not to pigeon-hole people. The outcomes are indisputable, however, and certainly speak to at least a significant percentage of our society who will think I'm insane or a heathen or both. Two things happened today that I believe shouldn't have.... and they happened because of a society too quick to judge.

Sen. Tom Daschle removed himself as a nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Over an income tax error?!?!? Everyone involved agrees he's infinitely qualified to do the job. Everyone involved agrees he has a stellar career in public service. To lose this man's extraordinary service and expertise in this way is a tragedy for the entire nation. This is not about a double standard. How many are 100% confident that they've never made an error on a tax return? How many could withstand the scrutiny of perfection our public servants are expected to endure? This whole thing is just silly -- and those making a big deal of this are the silliest. I'm not saying it is not a significant mistake, and neither is he. I'm saying it is trivial in the larger vision of America's strategic needs. Ask what is really in the best interests of the country... A) to hold our public officials to an impossibly high standard of perfection? or B) to leverage the best and brightest our nation has to offer toward a better tomorrow?

The second, though obviously not as significant, is just as irksome to me. A sheriff in South Carolina has announced that he will file charges against Michael Phelps if he can determine Phelps smoked pot while in his jurisdiction. This is not about celebrity, not about privilege and not about special treatment. This is about the further silliness that is criminalized marijuana possession and proves our two-faced society not only hypocritical but often stupid. Can pot be abused? Of course. Can pot be harmful? Of course. Can pot ruin someone's life? Absolutely. All this is also true for alcohol - a legal drug. To compare pot to alcohol is valid - comparing pot as a peer to heroin or cocaine is not. How much smarter would we be to legalize it and educate our youth as we do with alcohol and tobacco? Cigarettes were once 'chic' and accepted everywhere. Drunk driving used to be commonplace. Only through strong education programs were these turned into the social taboos they are today. How much smarter would we be to tax marijuana as we do with alcohol and tobacco? Keeping marijuana in the closet only perpetuates ignorance, perpetuates the culture of crime marijuana is forced into, encourages disrespect for the law when the law is so silly, and costs desperately needed revenue to enforce such silliness as well as in lost taxes. Think of all the jobs that would be created by a legal marijuana industry! 8)

The common thread here is the rush to judgment toward a punishment wholly inappropriate for the 'crime'. To throw Daschle out over this is our loss. To prosecute Phelps over this is morally wrong even if, unfortunately, legally right.

Perfection has become the enemy of excellence. It is very sad indeed.