Okay, that does it. Yesterday, I was in a grocery checkout line and looked over to see Sarah Palin on the cover of Newsweek with a hunting gun slung over her shoulder. At first, I thought it was a spoof and had to look closely to see that it was actuallyNewsweek. I felt dissociative. Do I really live in this country? Then, I became outraged. I live in utter dismay this month. We are hemorrhaging and in need of thoughtful leadership with insight and vision. This presidential campaign has been difficult to follow. It seems Americans ride the waves of a desperate hope for change fueled by naivet, or rationalization/dissociation/denial. I am drawn into watching Larry King Live, Anderson Cooper 360, and for relief, Bill Maher's Real Time to check the pulse of commentators. New rule: no stepping into a voting booth until you can prove you have a mind of your own. I am upset by media reports and polls and puzzled to hear callers sounding off on NPR's Talk of the Nation. I fear I live in a country where people actually do not give serious thought to choosing leaders. I find it surrealistic that men and women are not thinkers but followers, and some are willing to be led by religion and some sense that Washington is somehow looking out for us as people. I am anxious about the November election and advocate for all of us to do what we can to help people think about their choices. Forgive my indulgence, but someone who hunts caribou and wolves from a helicopter for sport seems more appropriate for a Ridley Scott film about some fictitious futuristic nation than a possible President of my country.

Warm regards,

Drew Tillotson, Psy.D.
NCSPP President