America at long last had its fascination with sports verified Sunday by a Super Bowl that was fought on a level playing field by adversaries, not enemies, who respected the others’ talents, fought hard till the end, gave the fans what they paid for (both in money and time invested) and left everyone, losers included, feeling they put in a good day’s work.

The present political landscape, our ‘leaders,’ Congress, spokespeople, the whole bunch of them cannot meet any of that mentioned above. Perhaps that is why I am frequently fatigued by the daily news and confused as well. With all the fake stuff thrown at me, how can I decide what is real?

The unrealness of today’s events gets reported so differently. Note, I read the small local papers, but still am subject to other accounts. One gets fatigued trying to figure it all out or one just ignores it altogether in order to maintain one’s sanity. Is Joe a poster boy for The Peter Principle, reached a position above his capabilities or does he suffer from age caused decline? The acts are verifiable, the reasons are your call. Are we going to be a Socialist country or will we be led in another direction? Is America a strong world leader or not so much anymore? I take a prescription sleeping pill at night in order to ease my mind, get a good night’s sleep and hopefully not start my day feeling fatigued.

RICHARD PHILLIPS

NEW IBERIA