THIS YEAR'S OCTOBER SURPRISE IS HURRICANE SANDY INTERSECTING WITH THE WEEK BEFORE THE GENERAL ELECTION...............

American Presidential Elections have been impacted for the past half century by what has become known as the, October Surprise.  This year the October Surprise is not overtly political, but weather oriented, in the form of Hurricane Sandy, which threatens to substantially change and affect the closing week of the General Election Presidential campaigns of Governor Romney and President Obama, in an election already becoming too close to call.  The ferocity of what is shaping up as a surging storm, Hurricane Sandy which is expected to hit high tide tonight, is impacting 8 Mid Atlantic and NorthEastern States, many of them in the 7-11 Swing States remaining as the determiners of the outcome in the Presidential Election.  President Obama has postponed personal campaigning to concentrate on preparations and oversight of Hurricane Sandy, as his re-election campaign adjusts to the potential fall-out from the urging storm.  Governor Romney has shifted his campaign schedule away from the swing States in Hurricane Sandy's path and into Ohio and the MidWest, as the electoral response on the part of residents due to the damage, power outages, and other frustrations take hold.  I am monitoring and will blog about this and developments as circumstances unfold in coming days.  For now we pray and stand in solidarity with our 50 million fellow citizens who are in the midst of this most unwelcome October Surprise interpersonally and inplicitly............Fr.  Troy