you can vote for whoever you want, but i don't want to hear about it

I just got back from my first Red Cross First Aid and CPR class at Sinclair.  I took the class sophomore year of high school, but that was about six years ago so it's definitely time to renew the certification.  At the beginning of class, the prof was talking about how we were all going to have to know exactly what we were doing, first aid-wise, if we wanted to pass his class and get certified.  Then he started talking about how if he's bleeding or dying, he wants us to know our stuff so we can save his life.  And then he said the best thing ever, and I tried my hardest not to laugh because no one else thought it was funny.  He said, "If you're gonna put your hands on me, you'd better be damn sure you know what you're doing."

Later, we watched a totally cheesy Red Cross video.  This dad and his daughter (Jenny, haha) are riding bikes (wearing helmets, of course) on the sidewalk.  Meanwhile, a "businesswoman" is driving down the street, talking on a car phone (yes, a car phone, not a cell phone, the thing was huge and plugged into her cigarette lighter) and writing down information in a notebook.  You can see what's going to happen, but they drag this out for like five minutes.  Finally, Jenny and her dad get hit by the woman's car.  It's awesome, and I'm a little ashamed to admit that I laughed out loud.  The bikes go flying through the air, and then they do a close-up on Jenny's lone, pink streamer lying in the middle of the road. 

I don't remember if Jenny and her dad live, but for like 10 minutes the neighbors just stand around, staring at their prone bodies in the middle of the road while the woman who hit them screams hysterically and acts like a moron. 

Speaking of children being hit by cars (nice segue, huh?) as I was driving to Sinclair, I noticed some kids standing at the crosswalk at a busy intersection.  They were all holding big signs and waving them around, so I assumed they were having a car wash or something.  No. 

To my absolute horror, the signs said things like "Vote Bush!" and "Four more years!"

What in god's name is wrong with those children?  They looked like they were in third grade, which is the only thing that stopped me from yelling something mean or obscene at them.  Did their parents put them up to that?  What third-grader gives a shit about who the president is?  They can't even vote.  It's pretty irresponsible of the parents to let their kids stand out there.  People who are anti-Bush are pretty outspoken; I can just imagine one of them stopping their car and yelling at the kids to stop advertising for something they don't understand, and the kids walking down the street crying and dragging their sad, little signs behind them.

Is it wrong that that image made me smile? 

Maybethe kids were just bored and this is something they're going to do every day.  I have to wonder, do they really think they're going to influence someone's vote by standing out in the middle of the street waving signs around?  They must, because why else would they stand out there?  I think it's highly unlikely that someone is going to see them and think, "Wow, I didn't realize Bush was so popular with third-graders, maybe I should give him another chance."  More likely they'll be annoyed with the kids for distracting drivers and they'll entertain thoughts of vehicular homocide. 

Maybe that's just me, though.