been away...again

For the few of you who actually read my "brain droppings" (with a nod to the late, great George Carlin) I have a few thoughts to share that I hope don't devolve into a rant. I don't like when I rant, as I am usually lowering myself to level of the behavior about which I am upset. Perhaps I'll share my Syracuse Lacrosse tournament story some time. I really strayed to the dark side of my nature that day...

Anyway, I am deeply troubled by the anti-intellectual tone the Republican primaries have taken on. It seems that being smart, or daring to aspire to be intelligent, is no longer a trait to emulate, but rather an albatross to bear. Oops, there I go, using literary allusions that put distance between me and the "common man" candidates are courting so fervidly. Oh oh, is fervid too obscure a word?

Seriously, former Pennsylvania Senator Santorum has criticized the President for supporting higher levels of post-secondary learning. This bald appeal to the lowest common denominator is almost as horrid as Newt Gingrich's barely cloaked racism. I know I lean a bit to the left, but for God's sake, these people have made "moderate" a dirty word! I grew up in Pennsylvania, and wonder how Santorum can live with his incredibly narrow minded views on homosexuality given the pretty obvious "unholy trinity" I observe each time I go home...what is that you ask? The Three P's of PA...Porn, Pyrotechnics, and the Pentecost. Drive down Rt15/99 through the heart of PA, the endless mountains, and you are assailed by adult bookstores/strip joints, sales of (illegal) fireworks (better have an out of state license), and churches...hundreds of churches all seeking to redeem your stained, tainted soul.

Living here in (Godless) New York, I seldom find anyone seeking to sell me adult products (OK, the occasional billboard in the city), fireworks (yeah, we are heavily regulated), or salvation. I respect that.

Growing up in Aliquippa, PA in the 60s and 70s, I was unaware of much of the world beyond the tri-state area of PA, OH, and WV. The 1969 Boy Scout Jamboree opened my eyes to a much larger America, travelling by bus to Idaho at the age of 12, college further opened me up, a friend from the Virgin Islands, meeting people from India and Iran, realizing how little I really knew, learning that my education would never be complete. But I feel like I may be (or have) ranting(ed).

Back to the anti-intellectual tone of the current campaign, can someone explain to me how the erudite Connecticut Yankee, George H.W. Bush begat the "good ol' boy" W? Is it something in the water? Or is Perry intentionally doing a bad "dubya" imitation? Perry and his Florida counterpart Rick Scott are already doing their level best to destroy public higher education in their states, is this what we can look forward to in the future? A Santorum/Perry/Scott approach to higher learning that says "less is more"? "Don't git too smart son, it'll git in yore way to the Waht Haas"...

I am not usually political here, I know that if I were polite I'd not discuss religion or politics (and I've done both) and run the risk of offending others, but I have been SO offended recently that I find it hard to stay quiet. I hope the electorate remember to respect the Constitutional separation of church and state. Our future depends on it.