Someone once said to me, "Shannyn, you expect people to be good and are constantly surprised. I expect people to be bad and am rarely shocked."
I'm not a cynic. Not yet, but I am getting outrage fatigue.
The crazy just keeps coming.
Sadly, there isn't just one source. Syria is a bloodbath. When it comes to helping Americans, Washington is completely constipated. A lot of our politicians remind me of dogs barking at their own reflections. The GOP presidential candidates seem determined to make Archie Bunker look like a moderate.
This week, a Juneau man formally asked the division of elections to keep "Barack Hussein Obama II" off the ballot in November. His reasoning included the assertion that the president, a "mulatto and negro," only has "civil rights" and not "political rights" under our Constitution.
Joe Miller -- yes, that one -- accused Obama of giving part of Alaska to Russia. "Part of Obama's apparent war against U.S. energy independence includes a foreign-aid program that directly threatens my state's sovereign territory. ..." He's referring to several islands that President George H.W. Bush agreed in 1990 were part of the Soviet Union. Wing-nut America is all upset because Obama isn't trying to renege on the deal.
Someone should ask Joe how opening the Beaufort and Chukchi to oil drilling furthers Obama's "war against energy independence."
In reality, America is producing more oil now than we have in 20 years, and demand is down, but that hasn't made fuel costs go down. The right wing talking heads know but don't want to acknowledge that speculators and fear of a meltdown in the Middle East are driving up gas prices -- not presidential policy.
In what appears to be an accidental burning of the Quran by American troops in Afghanistan, deadly riots have ensued. Top American military leaders, as well as the president, have said it was a mistake.
The same Newt Gingrich who in 1977 wanted to amend the Constitution to make burning the U.S. flag illegal blasted Obama for apologizing for our torching of Afghanis' holy book.
Can anyone spot the irony in this?
A handful of soldiers inadvertently offended an entire nation. The man who speaks for our country apologized. What an outrage.
In Juneau, Rep. Bill Stoltze is stalling on a bill to provide better lunches to needy children. The 15 cents a day for lunch, 35 cents for breakfast bill has been presented for four years running. Stoltze is concerned the state might create a "new entitlement" program. "Children of Alaska, we don't care if you're hungry, but study hard because, remember, you're our most precious resource."
Funny, I don't remember the House holding any committee hearings to fret over whether to raise legislators' per diem by $5 a day.
"Why are you so torn up about how crazy the right wingers are?" asked an email I got this week. "It's great! This only helps Democrats."
I guess I'm not a very good Democrat. The race to the loony bin may be helping Obama's chances for a second term, but it isn't helping our country.
Public conversation has hit bottom. When do the grown-ups start talking? When do we discuss meaningful job growth? Or true threats to our freedom like the National Defense Authorization Act, an overreaching TSA or torture and rendition? How about discussing actual threats to the planet, like climate change? Cutting entitlement programs for corporations? Re-regulating Wall Street? Providing health care for the uninsured and food for children after they leave the womb?
Oh, that's right. The oil-hating president is black, our flag is more sacred than their holy book, and poor kids could eat if they didn't have lazy parents.
I want my country back.
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Shannyn Moore can be heard weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. on KOAN 1020 AM and 95.5 FM radio. Her weekly TV show can be seen Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. on KYUR Channel 13.
SHANNYN MOORE
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