Wading Through Pig Slop

Well I certainly pushed someone's button with the last post so let's clarify a couple of things.

Numero uno and most importantly: I have no intention or even any desire of shushing every voice of opposition. What I am saying and will continue to say is that in the name of "freedom of speech" and being "fair and balanced" we've actually ended up sponsoring lunatics.

If you cannot tell the difference between Peggy Noonan and Sarah Palin or George Will and Bill O'Reilly then you are part of the problem. Joe Scarborough may annoy the hell out of me but he is neither dangerous nor an idiot, I'd never mistake him for Lou Dobbs. If the differences listed aren't apparent enough for you then consider the fact that I have heard all of the above express the very same concern I am expressing, albeit in politer terms, over the last couple of months. They are, if anything, more horrified than I am at what the "Republican base" has become, a conglomeration of extremists of nearly every type.

The same comparisons can be made on the left, try Dennis Kucinich versus Al Gore for starters. Sorry fellow Lefties, Dennis is King of silly season and would have us all in soup lines left to do his thing. The difference is no one has given crazies on the left their own television shows, much if any media air time and thus far anyway they aren't holding rallies where followers feel free to call for death to their opponents nor is there a chance in hell I'd support it if it happened. I'm sure that will earn me no love from the left but see that's the thing...I don't care. If the only love I can get is from the deranged or the hopelessly naive then I'd call it a job well done to be detested. On the other hand I'm not inclined to declare war on them for the very simple reason that they aren't advocating for or attempting to incite violence upon anyone nor are they in any position of power to do so. If Cindy Sheehan got her own talk show and gathered the faithful to rally for some crazy agenda would I call for her removal? You betcha.

I didn't sign on to live in Crazy Extremist Land and I'm going to do whatever little I can do to stop anyone trying to lead us down any path heading us in that direction. That ought to get me on just about everybody's kill-on-sight list.

This brings us to the Bill Ayers versus the Alaska secessionist movement. A lot has been made of Obama knowing and working on the same board with Ayers and only a few whispers regarding Palin and the secessionists. In a perfect world neither candidate would have these associations but welcome to the real world where it often becomes necessary to work with, to some extent even socialize with, highly imperfect and sometimes even dangerous individuals.

Blowing up people you disagree with regardless of your intentions is never the correct answer, I know that, most Americans know that and for damned sure Sen. Obama knows that. If you believe Sen. Obama would actually sympathize with such action or in any way facilitate such actions then I have no problem at all saying you are as crazy and dangerous as Mr. Ayers was at his worst. Unfortunately for Sen. Obama, he like most of us, did not get to hand pick who he worked with or who he lives near.

Alaska seceding from the US to form it's own independant nation is kind of a no-brainer for anyone with even half a brain though I confess it would be amusing to see them try to go even 6 months minus their federal subsidies. Even Sarah Palin knows this and if you're thinking she is secretly plotting to gain office to free Alaska then you are also insane. The even sadder truth is that these secessionist movements are neither brand new nor isolated to Alaska and as the public discourse has become increasingly vile they have gained momentum. These groups and their sympathizers are scattered all across the country, in nearly every state and are often heavily concentrated in rural and semi-rural communities. Trust me on this one because we have them here in Pahrumpistan. You'd have a tough go of it getting elected to anything without "making nice" with at least some of them.

Kind of makes my original point: our complete lack of discrimination between "free speech" and "crazy speech" led to a situation in which Gov. Palin would never have been elected mayor much less become the Republican VP candidate had she not been somewhat cozy with a pack of insane secessionists. As much as I do not like Palin and consider much of her rhetoric dangerous even I understand this. You were wondering why we struggle to find decent leaders?

The old saying that "cream always rises to the top" is true when you're talking about a pail of milk but doesn't work out so well when you throw it in a trough full of muck.