No matter how the world changes, it always stays the same, especially when it comes to politics. No other sector has quite the balance between self-righteous moral judgments and downright filthy mudslinging. Whatever the office sought, competing candidates seem caught up in fights to see who can dig up the most dirt on his or her opponent.

No different is the race to be the next Pitkin County sheriff. According to the Post Independent (10/14/06), it started with new candidate Rick Magnuson challenging the reputation of 20-year incumbent Bob Braudis by stating he was not forthcoming about having had treatment for his dependence on alcohol.

Typical stuff but then it gets weird, Magnuson accuses a supposedly pro-Braudis newspaper of trying to ruin his chances by publishing a description of a video made of Mr. Magnuson on his fortieth birthday. Magnuson claims the piece was innocuous art inaccurately portrayed as controversial by Aspen Daily News editor, Rick Carroll who shot the footage.

Magnuson claims that Carroll admitted to him that his paper’s bias in favor of the current sheriff’s reelection. He also claims he can’t see why his legitimate form of self-expression captured on film should have caused such controversy. What could have caused such uproar?

The 12-minute clip captured on the man’s birthday wasn’t of inappropriate conduct with strippers or call girls, but rather the dude performing a strange solo self-pleasuring act.

After digging a hole in the Mojave Desert and finding water in front of the camera, suddenly, the scene changes. The shot moves 20 yards away from Magnuson showing only his back as facing the watery hole, masturbates into it.

The film has been shown 27 times on a local station GrassRoots Television so obviously, it isn’t very explicit.

Sure, water, represents life, so spilling his seed into fertile ground in the middle of the desert might be understandably symbolic. Especially if he’s having some midlife crisis and worries his sperm might dry up.

Nevertheless, dude, you don’t let another dude film you masturbating during an election year. Once, you’re successfully in office, then like any elected official you can start jerking off and ignoring common sense.