Blah blah blah.

[kv0925]

Okay, I honestly wasn't going to post anything political today, but then I saw this article about Sarah Palin's interview on ABC last night, and this bit in particular:

Interestingly, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis earlier told radio host Hugh Hewitt that the media's coverage of Palin amounts to an "attack on Christianity" itself.

Um, whut? Is this serious? Criticizing McCain's VP choice because it was clearly a political selection rather than a logical one; because she has the wrong ethos and temperament to be mayor of a town of 5,000, let alone Vice President (or, all-too-conceivably, President) of the nation; because she doesn't just disrespect the separation of Church and State, she'd like to trample it into the ground.. calling her out on any of that means one is either sexist or attacking Christianity?

The point Davis was really trying to make is that religion, as a personal thing, should not be made an issue when looking at the candidates, but the media is making it one and is doing so in a way that often derides the faith of some of these people. That's fair enough in theory. But you know what? It isn't the media's fault if the candidates themselves are the ones bringing their religion into the public arena, like in the furor over abortion, like in the desire to legislate abstinence-only sex education, like in the move to mandate the teaching of creationism and other pseudo-science in public schools, like when a candidate for national office speaks before an audience and says that our soldiers are in Iraq "on a task from God."

Don't worry, one of these days I'll get the memo and stop longing for things to Just Make Sense.

Comments

[cp.livejournal.com]

Given Obama's resume, you'll note that I do not fault Palin for a lack of experience, although to be fair, there are certainly more people in Obama's Illinois constituency than in Palin's whole state. What I fault Palin on is HOW she's tended to behave, as mayor and as governor, and for the policies she embraces, and for her ignorance on a number of issues, which she made reverberatingly clear in her interview last night. I can't wait for the VP debate, although unfortunately I'm sure the inevitable annihilation of Palin at the hands of Biden will be interpreted by the right as a bully picking on a girl rather than what it will be, simply the more knowledgeable candidate blowing the doors off his opponent.

I do perceive the difference in saying "I pray that this war is God's will" and saying "This war is God's will." What I'm saying is that I believe Palin (and McCain and most of the conservative base in this country) MEAN the latter when they say the former, and to me that's not good.

[cp.livejournal.com]

In Christianity it is usually considered a sin to presume that you know Gods [sic] will beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Sure, but that hardly stops most Christians, does it? And hasn't for the past millennium or so. :)

[cp.livejournal.com]

Let me put on my lollerskates; you do realize that Christians are still the majority of the population of the United States, correct? I'd say I hang around a pretty fair number of them.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, my generalization is hardly sweeping. I fully realize that most Christians are what the Germans call Einjahrfreiwilligers, the sort who go to church for Christmas, if that, and more or less shelve their beliefs the rest of the year. The fanatics and real hardcore evangelicals are but the vocal minority. Problem is, that vocal minority is *very* vocal, and often very wrong, and they vote, and frankly in the past decade or so a number of them have been elected. And that's terrifying.