Soon after I bounced out of bed this morning, fueled by the adrenaline of the Potomac Primary and the greatest exercise in democracy — known as voting — I realized there was no polling place for my kind: an Independent.

I consider myself just as informed, if not more, than most Democrats and Republicans I make the unfortunate mistake of discussing politics with. Plus, I’m not blinded by my party allegiance to the point where I can’t hear out opposing viewpoints.

However, the message I get from not being able to participate in this glorious American democracy is that since I’m not eternally registered with one party, I must be ill-informed and out of the loop.

For a country with a political system that is supposed to be an example for all, there are still a lot of wrinkles that leave me scratching my head.

After the Bush-Gore debacle, there was talk of taking a serious look at the Electoral College vs. popular vote question. Still waiting on that one.

And then there are the Democratic superdelegates the media have recently discovered. Now, that doesn’t seem like too much of a political insider thing, does it? Whatever happened to “of the people, by the people, for the people?”

With the possibility of a Clinton-Bush rotating monarchy still lingering in the political shadows, maybe I should be glad to be out of the loop.

FRANCIS SMITH, Special Publications Assistant Editor

How about this: last weekend, I saw a feature story about up-and-coming grooms-to-be hiring a proposal planner to craft an elaborate marriage proposal.

Those in the wedding business are psyched about this extension of the almost $50 billion-dollar industry. (Except for maybe this party pooper).

With Valentine’s Day on Thursday, I wonder if people in the proposal-planning profession are swamped with swooning suitors? Or are most men turned off by the idea of another (admittedly unnecessary) nuptial expense?

If I were a wedding planner, I might seriously consider switching to proposals, given the option. Having a nervous male client seems like it’d be a lot easier than dealing with the “Bridezillas” of Baltimore.

For men desiring a simple V-Day solution that’s a bit… cheaper, one of our sister blogs has an idea: BokayMe.com, an offshoot of 1-800-FLOWERS that will send “animated, scent-less bouquets to that special, but not completely special, someone, for way less than a dozen long-stemmed roses.” (By “way less,” they do mean waaay less: most of the bouquets are 2-3 credits, which I can only assume are interchangeable with dollars.)

If anyone sends an animated bouquet to their sweetie on Thursday, I’d love to know how it was received.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

Sometimes you’re looking in vain for a blog post to kick off the day, and sometimes one just falls into your lap.

The latter was the case this morning, after this story came down the wire, about a veteran Baltimore cop who was suspended after a YouTube video of his encounter with a 14 year-old skateboarder at the Inner Harbor made the rounds.

In the video, it appears that the officer is ordering a group of teens to stop skateboarding (which is banned at the Inner Harbor). When the 14 year-old resists, the officer puts him in a headlock and berates him for being disrespectful.

At one point, the officer asks the teen: “Are you from the County or something?” He then proceeds with this zinger: “Obviously, your parents don’t put a foot in your butt quite enough, because you don’t understand the meaning of respect.”

WJZ-TV even got an interview with the teen.

Watch the video below and let us know if you think the cop was out of line or not.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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