Donkeys and Elephants and Mavericks, oh my ...

Okay, enough about pink squirrels. Let's talk turkey. Or, more to the point, donkeys and elephants. After all, the 800-lb. gorilla in America's living room is the presidential election, right?

I'm not going to waste anybody's time trying to convince you to vote for one candidate or the other at this late date. Anyone who didn't make up his or her mind by Labor Day is probably too crazy, too lazy, or too dense to be convinced by anything I might assert about the choices. And anybody who didn't make up his or her mind by the end of the last McCain-Obama debate is probably so far removed from reality and/or consciousness that he or she should probably just stay at home Nov. 4 and continue to snack on Frito-Lead® brand paint chips while watching reruns of "Alf."

Here's something interesting I stumbled upon the other day. Fulton County residents seem to make political campaign donations in the same proportions in which they're registered, which is to say more than two-thirds in favor of Republicans, according to FEC figures reported on www.opensecrets.org. Montgomery County residents' donations are split right down the middle.

Here's a New York state map and county-by-county break down.

Here are the data on Johnstown donations.

Here are the data on Gloversville donations.

It seems the Glove Cities are lumped into a larger geographical region in those numbers, which takes all the surprising fun out of them entirely. But have a look at the information contained in those Web pages regardless. At the very least, you might find out which campaign got a check from your doctor, your boss or your next-door neighbor. Somebody around here sent $205 to a candidate named Chuck Baldwin. Chuck Who? He's even less well-known than that Tolkienesque liberal fella from Ohio!

In the interest of full disclosure, I should admit that I myself have made a political contribution. About a year ago, I sent $5 to a left-leaning organization that now supports Barack Obama. In return, I got a cool bumper sticker that says "END THIS WAR." I slapped one on my guitar case. I'm a such a radical.