Don't just take my word for it. There are many of us who believe this race could have been finished, and much more neatly, if not for the interference of the media. Who can blame them? Sniping between candidates raises ratings and ratings is what it's all about.

First we have the endless analysis. Black voters, Hispanic voters, white middle-aged women and senior citizens. The media should stop squeezing us into little boxes. Many of us do not fit the stereotypes, such as middle-aged women for Obama or college students for Hillary. Sometimes a voter is just a voter.

Then there's the microscopic examination of the candidates' every word. If Abraham Lincoln had been examined this closely, we'd probably still be fighting the Civil War. Remember the good old days of Walter Cronkite when newscasts were fifteen minutes long? Viewers weren't subjected to the ad nauseam conversations about what the candidate wore or what he/she meant by using this word instead of that word. Twenty-four hours cable news has become the curse of the modern age.

The final problem with the media (truthfully, there may be more but I'll limit this list to three) is the infotainment that passes itself off as serious political discourse. The worst example of this was the so-called debate on ABC. I know debate and that, sir, was no debate. Tabloid news should not take the place of real issues and debate moderators should not scream out their biases. The majority of the American people are too smart to be treated so ignorantly.

There is one simple way to bring this primary race to a close and that is for the media outlets to regulate themselves. Mo more demographic stereotyping. No more minute analyses. No more senseless questions. Don't make the news. Simply report it. Step back and let the American people decide who we want to lead us.

Twenty-eight years ago this native Missouri girl relinquished my birth right as a white anglo-saxon protestant and converted to Islam. My timing was wonderful--Americans were being held hostage in Iran and hijab-clad women were not on anyone's list of favorites.

I weathered that storm and others to follow, including the backlash in the days and months after 9/11. I never removed my scarf, but just grit my teeth and carried on.

Now I face a strange dilemma. I'm an American, born and bred, as are my parents and grandparents. I have every right to support the presidential candidate of my choice. But this little piece of cloth on my head calls my patriotism into question and makes me an undesirable, even among some Obama supporters.

I've thought about this problem ever since the smear campaign started against Obama. But it didn't stop me. My son and I went door-to-door here in Kentucky, canvassing for Obama. Do you know what? No one gave me a hard time because of my scarf. (Our county was one of two here in our state that went for Obama.)

If I hadn't converted, or if I hadn't decided to wear the scarf, I could easily blend into the American fabric. Does my scarf change who I am? If not, why does it change the way people look at me?

This organization is exactly what the names says it is. Muslim university students join for fellowship. They do sometimes work for causes--raising money for hunger, flood victims, etc. There's nothing mysterious about it.

When I was in college I hung out with members of the Baptist Student Union and the Newman Center (Catholic). No one accuses these organizations of nefarious activities. People need to stop jumping to paranoid conclusions every time they see the word "Muslim." More educated people usually know this.

My Muslim son will be attending an open-minded Christian college in the fall. That school has an active Muslim Student Association also. Imagine that.

First, I have to disclose a few things about myself: a few years after becoming a Muslim, I earned my Ph.D.; no one tells me what to do and everyone who knows me will verify that; I came to Islam after a four year search that included reading the Bible cover-to-cover as well as other world scriptures (such as the Bhagavad Gita) and I actually attended seminary for one semester with the intention of becoming a minister.

The scarf doesn't oppress me and neither does my faith or my husband. I have given up some independence because that's what happens when you have children, but it had nothing to do with the scarf. Don't stereotype. My most exasperating experiences have been with those people who think the scarf squeezes out my brain.

You can insult my height (all of 5'3") or my housekeeping skills, but don't you dare insult my intelligence.