MY DAY

Eleanor Roosevelt - former First Lady - for many years wrote a column entitled "My Day". She was an excellent writer as well as a remarkable lady.

Alas, I am neither. However, today was My Day due to the non-conspirational writing of two of my favorites:  Cal Thomas - a conservative columnist and Bob Beckel a liberal Democratic strategist.

Interestingly, as a long time registered Republican - but with Libra as my astrological sign - I most frequently agree with Bob.

In today's USA Today they found agreement with a pop culture topic:

Cal: "On my list of things about which I care nothing are Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and their out of wedlock child, Paula Deen and the potty mouthed Alec Baldwin. As for Kardashian, having a baby under such conditions used to be shameful, but now pop culture approves of everything.

Celebrity is king (or queen) no matter how you attain it, and Kardashian attained hers with a sex tape and still does nothing that contributes anything to culture. How much lower can we go?"

Bob: "Let's hope this is the bottom. Today pop culture awards celebrity and treasure to people who have done nothing to deserve it, other than being outrageous enough to get themselves in the tabloids.

Kardashian was a nobody until her father represented O.J. Simpson. I'll give her this: she parlayed that tiny thread into celebrity. But if people had not gone along with the scam, we wouldn't be talking about her today."

Cal: "Focusing on celebrities has a dumbing-down effect on our politics, forcing many of our leaders to appeal to the uneducated and uninterested. It's why we hear so many banalities and appeals to emotions, rather than substantive ideas.

Today, the closest many people get to history is the instant replay."

Bob: "Not only has celebrity dumbed down our politics, it has become intertwined with it. I would be delighted not to see another celebrity - regardless of their political beliefs - come to Washington to make another appeal for some cause about which they know little. Beyond their celebrity, many "buy" influence through political donations and an ability to motivate others to give money to a city already awash in cash."

Cal: "Pop culture is to the mind what sugary cereal is to -- the body".

Bob: "I think about our soldiers in Afghanistan, their enormous discipline, commitment to values  and defense of our country. When I compare them with our fixation on celebrities, it makes me sick."