07-28-08: I have been good on this stuff, I really have. I don't let much get to me to the point where ranting is necessary much but this stuff took the cake. And to think, I had been doing so well, too. -.-

On my recent trip out to North Dakota, my family and I drove through some areas where the usual classic rock and "Top 40" stations would really cut out. This left us with the Three C's of the radio dial to choose from - Country, Christian and Crappy Talk Radio. As you can tell by the names, the first two are reasonable. I'm not the biggest country fan but I have been digging some of the newer stuff out on the airwaves. It's like country with a hint of rock. It sure isn't the old school blues-y tunes but it's pretty good. Same goes with Christian rock. Nice beats though I can live without some of the overly God-centered lyrics. Of course, you drop that and it really does cease to be Christian music.

No, the slice of the dial that pissed me off to no end was the crappy talk radio stations. Not sure if I ever mentioned this but I really don't like Stupid. This kinda' kills my viewership of most of Fox News or my listenership (there's a word you don't see used in casual conversation anymore) of radio programs by Rush Limbaugh's. No offense guys but anyone who stirs shit 24/7 then claims to be "Fair and Balanced" still doesn't quite comprehend the meaning of those words nor the phrase they appear in. Dictionary: Try it.

I'm pleased to say I didn't hear too much bad stuff on Obama or overly gushing things about McCain outside of the usual respective slams and pumps but some of the ads that ran out there made my blood boil. According to one, gay marriage will lead to polygamy. It's true. Some writer out there for a group of less-than-logical folks wrote that and it was later recorded, proofed for errors, sent to a radio station with the money to run it and played over the airwaves to the hundreds of thousands that may or may not have been listening during that slice of time. But wait! There's more. Along the roads are massive - and multiple - Pro-Life ads. No disrespect to pro-lifers but please don't pull that "Your Mother chose Life. Shouldn't you?" shit with me and I won't pull that "Here's a litany of circumstances..." shit with you. We should agree to keep it to ourselves and off most of the largest interstate billboards for bulk of three states.

It's a fact of life. Folks with hot-button points of view and a need for attention will shout it from the rooftops whenever and where ever they get the chance. I just wish they would make it a bit more low key or - in the case of the radio ad - less stupid. Seriously, I have done that "Slippery Slope" thing before but this is quite the leap. How did that train of thought derail again? Gay Marriage begets Legalized Polygamy begets cats and dogs living together. The end of days as we (or the folks who caught that Ghostbusters reference) know it? Not really.

Of course, that's just what I think.