Last modified: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 2:51 PM CDT Vice presidential visit an interesting spectacle By Jon Alverson Monday's rally at the DeSoto Civic Center was a chance for the faithful to find energy to vote one more time and the candidates to preach their message to the choir. Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator Roger Wicker were in town to speak to what turned out to be a relatively small group of folks. There were supposedly 2,000 tickets reserved for the event and I wonder if they were used in total. Frankly, in this Republican stronghold, I find it surprising the room at the civic center was not shoulder to shoulder. This makes me wonder what conclusion to draw. Are people tired of voting for this congressional district seat? Do people just not care? Do people not like Dick Cheney? The folks who were at the rally do show zeal and drive for political action. Though I doubt many of them took a critical account of the message Monday, their attendance alone showed their willingness to participate in the system. The event was at an awkward time, 3:30 p.m., for many people to attend, but in a county as large as DeSoto there should have been a full house. I hope the attendance is not a bellwether of the general apathy so many people complain about when it comes election time. And this is not another you-need-to-get-out-and-vote column. Perhaps the reason people don't vote anymore is because no one knows what they are voting for, and it's not the media's fault as so many want to ascribe. It's the politicians' faults. As we've all watched the ads and listened to the speeches of the last few months I can sum up both camps campaign positions as: vote for me and not the other guy. Because of our deadlines I'm writing this column before the results of the election are known. So many campaigns focus on what the other guy is or isn't and spend little time actually defining their own positions. Both candidates in this election have placed conservative values by their name as often as possible, but what are conservative values? I'm sure they are different for every person who holds them. To presuppose from Cheney's remarks Monday: if Davis wins the election he's going to Washington to vote the party line. They say the same thing for the opponent. I don't know either man well, but will assume both would vote the way he believes. National politics have become so much party line establishment. I really wonder how people from the same area of the country could truly be so different. We'll never really know because whoever doesn't win the election won't have a chance to show what they would have done on the national stage. But while Cheney spoke in opposition to the Democrat candidate I found it ironic to hear him quoting John F. Kennedy. Aside from the politics, I always enjoy an encounter with a president or vice president. It's interesting to see how people react to the executive's presence. Some are overjoyed. Some are so excited they've forgotten themselves. And some almost seem aloof as though they are projecting the idea the vice president's presence is no big deal to them. I for one enjoy watching the spectacle. I can never really get over the thought of how close the man in front of us is to real power. It's also interesting to see how other members of the local media react to a visit such as this. It's not often someone from a weekly newspaper is covering a speech by the vice president. Angel Alert, Angel Alert: From reader Lisa: "I was at Lowe's this morning buying mulch and I was struggling putting the big heavy bags in my cart - also, shouldn't be lifting things since I'm pregnant - and this lady came over (who wasn't even nearby me) and started helping me put them in my cart. It was really nice of her to just volunteer." We like helpers. Especially when it's mulching season. Scum Alert, Scum Alert: This message left by anonymous under the front door of my office: "Will you please put a notice in your paper about the rude people who drive in City Park? The park road is not a short cut from one highway to another. It is not a race track. I know people are in a hurry but the park has people walking and running. Children are playing, people are walking their dogs. You can be in the middle of the road and cars and SUVs and even emergency vehicles try to run you down. This happens everyday. No one observes the signs. I know the park office has not redone the yellow paint in the road but people should have sense enough to read road signs. You take your life in your hands when you go through the park. Not one in five will let people and animals cross. They are so much in a hurry to get to the road. Slow down. This is a park. Not a race track." We are at the park with regularity watching little league baseball and see the speed demons all the time. The park is way too crowded to speed through. Slow down buckos. Send alerts to alverson@dctribune.com. Jon Alverson is publisher and editor of the DeSoto County Tribune. Write to him at alverson@dctribune.com or call him at 662-895-6220.