Recently, a tornado struck a remote camp in Iowa where a group of teen-aged Boy Scouts were having a leadership retreat. Nearly fifty people were injured, and a few kids were even killed. When emergency crews arrived at the scene, the Scouts had already set up a makeshift triage unit and were doing their best to treat the injured and limit loss of life. The news media immediately hailed the helpful survivors as heroes.

I don't deny that this was a horrible event. At the same time, it made me wonder about what the word "hero" means to us. These kids certainly did well, did what what right, but didn't they simply do what anyone should be expected to do in a similar situation? They helped people who needed it: they didn't go out of their way, they worked together, they came to the aid of their fellow human beings. This is how we define heroism? Helping someone even though you probably won't get anything out of it (other than not seeing your friends die). Really?

Who do I blame for this? Me? Certainly not. You? Probably not. The news media? Absolutely. Keep your eyes peeled for more on my growing irritation with the ever-increasing negative influence of this group of headline-grubbing, attention-diverting, fear-mongering individuals, but here's a sneak preview: I don't care what John McCain and Barack Obama had for breakfast. I don't care what they said to some guy at Arby's in 1987. I want to know what they're going to do about energy. About health care, poverty, foreign policy, social security, the subprime mortgage fiasco, and the world's food supply. I want to know who they are as men, fathers, and leaders. I want to know about their spiritualities, their personalities, and their humanities. Make it so.

And speaking of the candidates, I'm sure that both of you are reading this right now, so let me go on record by saying: cut the crap; I'm tired of the political rhetoric; if this is going to work, you have to cooperate too; when someone asks you a question, answer it directly. If what you have to say keeps you out of office, then you weren't the right person for the job to begin with. Done and done.