Loudest voices are most out of touch

I hope everybody's Thanksgiving was as good as mine.

Some thoughts while reading newspapers over the holiday:

Why does "politicizing" an issue mean that "somebody is saying or doing something I disagree with?" It's all politics.

If Hillary's "atrocities" were at all serious, why are they being pardoned now? Could it be that they were blown way out of proportion in the first place?

The left's hand-wringing long before Trump even gets close to occupying the Oval Office is every bit as annoying as was the right's instant panic over Obama.

So is the left's shock over Trump's victory, as was the right's disbelief that Obama had won, twice. The lesson: The one who bellows the loudest is the one most out of touch with current realities.

On the other hand, for the second time in 20 years, the electoral college is making a joke of the popular vote. Maybe this should change.

I feel like a patriot and a loyal eastern New Mexican because I ate standing rib roast for the holiday instead of turkey. It makes me feel loyal because I'm not surrounded by 500,000-acre turkey farms.

I continue to salute retailers like REI who give their employees an extra day off instead of subjecting them to the nightmare of Black Friday.

I hope the people who had to work Thanksgiving, like the police officers and the drivers of the many semis I saw on Interstate-40 on my holiday bike ride, got the full holiday treatment before or after. I'd gladly enjoy a Thanksgiving feast on Black Friday instead of a day of shopping.

I'm really not looking forward to another season of holiday hoopla, but if my holiday spirit needs a re-charge, all I need is to watch a kid under 7 contemplating Santa Claus.

Getting back to politics: I would tell those who don't like the election's outcome the same thing people in the Rockies say about their weather: If you don't like it, stick around for a couple of hours, or years. Democracy is messy but eventually everyone can be satisfied for a little while, anyway. That's something we can be thankful for.

Steve Hansen writes about our life and times from his perspective of a retired Tucumcari journalist. Contact him at [email protected]