today's the day.
I was wondering how many of those who will vote for Moore will be doing so more because they hate the other side, the liberals and progressives and democrats and their political correctness and permissiveness, etc., vs. because they agree with and believe Moore.
Also, the same type of people like to rail on Hollywood and the corporate media for spreading "liberal" ideas, gay rights, and point to the sexual allegations coming out of the entertainment business as evidence to support their thinking and yet their moral compass doesn't click on when it comes to the allegations against Moore.

Classic example of cognitive dissonance and tribal behavior.

Of course, many will vote for Moore because they're Trump supporters, like Obama supporters would vote for whoever Obama said to vote for.

defined: a suffering with another; hence, sympathy; sorrow for the distress or misfortunes of another, with the desire to help; pity; commiseration. L. com-with, patti, to suffer.

Common sense tells us that almost all of us have some suffering in store for us. It seems that almost all of us want to deny it. Perhaps if we accept that prospect we might find it in us to be more compassionate.

My 2 cents; compassion is the way to find our way back. We seem intent on turning this planet into a hell hole for most people. I think compassion may be our best way to turn that around. For our children, if for nothing else.

I've been meaning to read Karen Armstrong for a long time. Bill Moyers used to have her on his show periodically.

from my view anyway. When we walk in other's shoes, we are more likely to treat them with kindness and understanding.

As to Al's question about Moore voters...I personally think it is tribal. When they voted for T-rump (en mass) they joined his tribe. That's why I thought Luther Strange had the primary sewed up against Moore. T-rump asked the tribe to vote for Strange, but they opted for Moore. Now T-rump asks them to vote for Moore...we'll see if the tribe falls in line this time.

One of Alabama's great scientists E. O. Wilson suggest we as a species have evolved as groups (tribes) rather than as individuals. He uses band and football (AL/Auburn game) to support his hypothesis (quite convincingly)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggO0Aso-eYk (12 min)

The full [edit: oops 2] hour show "Ants and Men" is here:
http://www.pbs.org/video/eo-wilson-ants-and-men-full-episode/

Seems being sheeple is in the nature of our species. Thankfully, there are those of us at the end of the bell curve that question and disobey.

On the way home from my little bizarre "Friendship Baptist Church" polling place, I finally saw a Moore yard sign (at an old trailer) but I've seen several Jones signs. We'll see what we'll see.

Hope you all have a good day.

Compassion (and empathy) are necessary for the well being of all of us. They do both seem to be individual characteristics and values, which is why organizations don't really possess them, not corporations nor governments. A group of people can form an organization and task it with being compassionate, but that compassion will most likely be mechanistic, pro-forma, ritualized and formulated. It will also likely become slow moving and lethargic.

Meanwhile, we are exposed to the downtrodden and oppressed, in person, in the media, and in solicitations, that we tend to get numb and develop that blindness that you have toward the billboard just outside of town. We need to periodically exercise our awareness, just wander around making it a point to notice things. Those forays might also be a good time to exercise direct, individual, non-deductible charity. Do good by the panhandler that hangs out down by the drugstore, or every one that you meet.

Jon Carroll, a columnist for the SF Chronicle, once touted an Xmas ritual, that I tried and decided could/should be a periodic, non-holiday only, revitalization activity. He would determine an amount of funds that he could part with without too much grief. We would divide that amount into a reasonable number of equal size donation units and procure same from his bank or stash - maybe 10 half dollars, or 30 singles or twenty fives, whatever worked. He would then wander through town, non-judgementally giving one such donation unit to each unfortunate he encountered, not counting organized drives like Starvation Army or Jerry's Kids or such. It revitalizes one's spirit and reawakens one's ability to once again see and notice all those folks that we had been becoming blind to.

This, being the season of professional fund raisers, including many parasitic ones, is a good time to eschew them and go directly help some one or more unfortunates.