Today friendship is on my mind. I am in great need of a favor this week and, of course, am finding out who my real friends are through the experience. The cliche is true. Friends often come from unexpected places. However, one came from an old and hoped for place. An old childhood friend has come through for me. She never has in the past, but this time she did. I did not expect it at all and did not even as for her help. She offered, and that made it even better.

Another offer of help came from someone I barely know and have been a bit suspicious of since I have known him. He has sort of a checkered past, but he has been so nice to me. Another offer came from someone I know so little that I cannot remember what he looks like. I wonder what makes strangers so kind.

On the other side, the person who keeps telling me what a great friend he is to me is notably absent. He keeps making promises to me, but disappears when the time comes to fulfill one of them. Of late, this person has been leaning on me so much emotionally that my childhood friend (see above) says he owes me and I should ask for his help too, but I just can't. I can't have him let me down again and still be able to be in his presence. I would rather not ask.

Then, there are the people for whom I have recently done a lot including family members. All absent.

The bandwagon. People seem to be very concerned about being on the right bandwagon. I have had a person tell me that she thinks Kerry is a wonderful person and great candidate for president describing in detail good experiences with Kerry and issues of his upon which they agree only to ask for a Dean button no more than 10 minutes later. The room was full of people wearing Dean buttons and that person wanted to belong to the right bandwagon.

We just had a major defection from our Kerry grassroots group because the person was afraid he was on the wrong bandwagon. He went for Clark whose positions are no where near Kerry's on anything. Clark, the former and very recent republican, the good buddy of Ronald Reagan and Bush I. What makes a Kerry supporter switch to Clark? I would think Edwards or Gephardt would be a more logical choice. So, I have concluded that it is only the bandwagon effect. To this person, Clark seemed to have the better bandwagon.

That will be how Bush will win the 2004 election. He wraps himself in religion and the flag and people from towns where these false symbols of America are held in higher esteem than the Constitution will be afraid to stay off his bandwagon even if they know he's hurting the country, and their own economic group. People will even vote against self interest if it means that they will belong to the perceived correct group. Peer pressure. Federal elections are no different than junior high school.

On that note, I'll share with you the best campaign poster I ever saw...Picture it: Niles East High School circa 1975 (after Watergate and the tax evasion scandal of Spiro Agnew) a poster on the wall in the cafeteria stated: " Income Tax Evasion? Fred Batko has no income!" I don't remember if Fred won or not, but I voted for him because he was cute. Ah, another reason people vote....my excuse was that I was 15.

I got to meet Ted Kennedy. Too bad the picture was taken with the long lens. He was so nice! 

The only picture I got with John Kerry. We traveled around Iowa with him helping out for the Iowa caucuses. He won!