I'm going to hate myself for this one day.

Remember being a kid and either witnessing or suffering some offense committed by another kid and just wondering why on earth that kid would do such a thing? And then going home and relating the incident to your mom or dad and getting the response, "Sometimes people do things just to get attention"?

Remember that?

Well, there are two huge groups of people on the planet who don't remember that. I like to call them (and I swear I just made this up) the "news media" and "politicians."

I've tried to avoid political discussions on this site--at least overt political discussions, anyway. But HONEST TO GOD, if the people who dislike Sarah Palin's message don't figure out that the best way to silence it is to stop making it relevant, I am going to move to Canada.

(Not really. It's freaking cold up there! Plus, I may run into Alec Baldwin, and as funny as he is on 30 Rock, I'm not sure I want to drink a Mohlson with him. Maybe near him...yeah, that would be amusing.)

Anyway.... It's quite a spectacle, the way Palin and the media play each other. And I'm not sure which side looks more foolish, honestly. Take that whole "notes on the hand" incident. Here is how I think it really went down:

Aide: Governor* Palin, what are those?

Palin: What, these? Index cards with some key messages, in case I forget.

Aide: No, no, no, Governor Palin. Don't do that. Write the notes on your hand. Think of the coverage you'll get! Nobody outside your base is actually going to tune in for what you're saying, here.

Palin: Oh...great idea! I haven't taken a big hit in weeks.

And then, a few more weeks go by. Legislators are announcing their retirement, left, right and center. Literally, in fact.

Palin: Uh-oh. Nobody's paying attention to me. Hey! I'm offended by that character on The Family Guy!

Rupert Murdoch: Oh, this is pure heaven! I was ready to pull the plug on that series again. Everyone knows I have ADHD with my programming. But now the ratings have skyrocketed! Thank you, Governor Palin!

Erin K. Rice: GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

And, yes, I know. Now I'm doing it, too, right? Okay. Equal time, then. The other side of the fence did the same thing, during the Presidential election. The more they went after Obama over stupid stuff (like his true nationality or his religion or, for God's sake, his race), the more sympathetic he became to undecided voters.

Did nobody see that movie Wag the Dog? I'm not really one for major conspiracy theories, but anyone who thinks that the "news" we see is organic is seriously deluded. In fact, the news media should be added to the manufacturing industry. It would be more accurate, and it would boost our output.

Okay. Back to my esoteric ramblings on literature tomorrow. Honest.

* We still address her as "Governor Palin," right? Yes, even when I'm ranting, I pause to consider these things. It's a disorder, I swear.