No Palin Left Behind

Sarah Palin did okay on her standardized test of Republican dogma last night. There were only a few missed answers. Let's see if she can retain the info she does know through the election and beyond. Her vocabulary needs work, however. 

hubris: noun, (Greek); excessive pride or self-confidence, haughtiness, self-importance, egotism, cockiness. Usually used in referring to tragic heroes. Biblical translation: "Pride goeth before a fall."

doctrine: noun, a set of beliefs taught by a church or political party; a stated principle of government policy.  

Critical thinking skills have been neglected, a possible casualty of rote memorization in order to pass a test. 

The Second (Un)Civil War

There is another uncivil war coming to America. I won't call it the United States because we haven't been very united about anything recently, and the divide is getting wider every day. New voter polls are out after the political party conventions, and they seem to indicate quite clearly where we stand on either side of the chasm. Roughly 50 percent favor McCain/Palin and 50 percent favor Obama/Biden. It's more complicated than that, of course, but it shows just how close we are to a war within the country. Never mind that we're already at war with another country. The two sides seem unwilling or unable to see the other's point of view. 

It's a cultural war. The educated trumpet their disdain for the undereducated who snipe and snarl back at them. Urban dwellers look to the left, and rural dwellers look to the right. Second Amendment literalists grip their guns and ammo, and anti-gun folks fear blood in the streets. Bellicose proponents of the Iraq war roar, "Defeat the Terrorists!" and anti-war pacifists shout, "Bring 'em Home Now!"

It's a religious war. The evangelical faithful cry, "Onward Christian Soldiers!" and the scoffing unbelievers sharpen the tips of their protest signs.  Right to Lifers see only one issue in this election, and those for choice see other issues. 

It's a class war. The upper levels of society keep on getting richer, and those at the bottom of the barrel keep on scraping it. 

But what about those moderates in the middle of the chasm? They keep floating quietly down the river that carves and widens the divide. I don't hear many moderates appealing to the left or right for detente and compromise. Reaching across the aisle is getting harder and harder, no matter what the candidates say. This is one of the most divisive of campaigns and one of the most important. I know where my loyalties lie, fairly left of center, and I'm adamant about certain issues. I don't know what will happen in November, but I worry about what comes after. 

The High Road

Bristol Palin's pregnancy  should really be only a blip on the radar for Obama supporters,  and I'm one of them. Barack himself has said this should be a non-issue. His own mother was pregnant with him when she got married. The decision to keep her child and to marry the father is the business of Bristol and her family, not ours. It is not a political issue but a cautionary tale. 

I have said before in this blog that abstinence only sex education doesn't work. Teenagers are not really equipped to adequately stifle a basic human urge. They also use sex as a form of rebellion, a recreational drug, a form of communication, etc. It's not smart, but neither were most of us at that age either. My own birth mother had four children out of wedlock. She had few options. (Please read the April 29th, 2008 entry.)Yes, I'm "lucky" to be here. The fact of the matter is that I AM here and writing my views and am free to do so. 

What I'm really saying here is that we all should take the high road on this one. No one, conservative or liberal or moderate, is immune to family issues of this kind. It's how we handle the ramifications for all of America that counts.