RETAIN A GRIP IN REALITY
... take a deep breath, and then come out fighting
by Jon Carroll, San Francisco Chronicle

All around me is the rending of garments and the beating of breasts. All around me are people on their knees shaking their impotent fists at heaven. All around me people are saying that Bush will win and that therefore they will move to Canada/move to Mexico/join an ashram/go to bed for four years/marry a Republican/acquire ritual tattoos/take too many drugs. My message to them: Get over yourselves. Retain a grip in reality. This is not the worst time in the history of America -- remember the Civil War? That was a bad time. This is not the nastiest presidential campaign ever -- check out the contest of 1800, starring the soon-to-be-immortal Thomas Jefferson. This is not the first president ever to be held captive by corrupt industrialists -- see the years 1870 through 1900, where candidates were bought and sold like trading cards.

Full story here.