There were so many possible titles for this post.

"I used to think that everyone should have the right to vote."

"This is a true story. Every word of it, I swear."

"I never knew that people this clueless actually existed in America."

"Anyone for peach pie?"


Are you curious yet?


Some relatives of a sister of mine (keeping it vague to protect the clueless, not that the parties in question use the internet anyway...) were in town visiting recently, and one evening after a delightful dinner and movie, they all sat down to watch the local evening news. The evening in question was this past Saturday, October 4, 2008. (I just want to make sure you know this didn't happen on October 4, 2007 or October 4, 2006, when this story might not have been as appalling.)

There flashed upon the TV a split-screen of our two major candidates for US President, John McCain and Barack Obama, along with some news-anchor dialogue about the election. My sister's relative looked at the TV for a moment, and then uttered the unbelievable statement,

"I didn't know he was black."



You read that right.

I'll give you a minute.



. . . .


My sister: "WHAT?"

The relative (who is, by the way, a full-grown adult, a nice person, and college graduate): "Oh I know who Obama is, I just didn't know he was black."

My sister: "Seriously? You've never seen him or heard people talk about him being the first BLACK president?"

The relative: "Well we don't get cable."

Sis: "Haven't you seen a newspaper in the past year?"

Rel: "We don't take the paper."

Sis: "What about at the grocery store? Magazines? Anything??"


Nope. And it's not as if these people live on a farm, a deserted island, or in an ecosphere. They even have a TV, just not cable. They live in a semi-major metropolis, they have friends and associates, they have college educations. By all accounts they know how to read.

And they are registered to vote.

Scary.




If you're in the mood for something lighter... take a look at this yummy peach pie I made tonight!