If you are a political “junky” you have probably been basking in the media frenzy of the past few weeks.  If you are truly interested in finding political coverage of any sort, you will have no problem doing so, regardless of the time of day.  In a sense this may be a positive thing since it provides the listeners with information relevant to the time of political campaigns.  On the other hand it might also provide a great deal of false information with a leaning on subjective vs. objective opinions.  Where does that leave a person who is sincerely searching for truth?

    One thing we must all be acutely aware of is the constant bombardment of the media.  The past fifty years have served our country with an increasingly poor diet of false or half truths that are released through the media.  Words are pulled out of context and catch phrases are coined and repeated almost daily until one’s psyche absorbs them as truth.  Photography has become vital to political parties because people can be fooled by pictures that can quickly be seen on television, newspapers or a website.  Politicians can be vilified with one clever photo.

    A second factor that plays an important but not necessary a positive role is sound bites.  It is almost impossible to come to a clear and conscientious decision if we limit our information to these TV sound bites.  Sadly, almost all politicians tell us what they think we want to hear.  If they think we want lower taxes they may promise lower taxes.  If they think there are large religious groups who can influence the vote they may profess to be pro-life.  It is no secret that political strategists keep tabs on the various groups that tend to vote.  This information provides them with the info they need in order to focus their speeches on pertinent and relevant issues geared to the electorate. 

    How can we be good citizens and good Christians with all of the above invading our lives?  First of all we must remember that our conscience must be our guide, not the media.  How do we get the information we need in order to make an informed decision?  We must take the time to read.  There is a wealth of information at our disposal but we must be willing to read it.  If we prefer to read magazines we must remember that the writers may be subjective.  Reading stories written in the past few months by friends and family may not necessarily be objective criteria.  If is good to read various view points and to weigh the information

     Books such as memoirs that tell us about the candidates’ past can give us a good idea of the character and moral judgment of the person.  A person who has been generally good and has usually made sound moral judgments in various situations will probably follow suit in office.  Again we must choose our books wisely.

    A good way to prepare ourselves for voting day is to pray.  We must pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten our minds and hearts on matters that are most important. (Not just to us.)  We must be honest with ourselves as we look at the issues that matter most to the nation.  Are we being selfish or do we really care for moral integrity?  When we choose our candidate, can we say that he will do the most moral good for our country?  Let’s think about that.

                            Lorette P. Nault