Americans hate civility

Huh. I just this very morning wrote an email to the McCain camp, saying how ashamed I was that he and Palin have been letting their supporters yell out stuff like "Terrorist!" and "Kill him!" when they mention Obama.

I wrote:

Dear Senator ("the other one"),

I'm an Independent, politically, or at least have identified as such until 2001. I think Bush and his cronies have hurt this country deeply, but I know it can be fixed. The John McCain I saw coming into the limelight eight years ago might have been the man to reach out, be a real uniter (not a "decider" with tunnel vision), and fix it. But now? I don't know.

How, Senator, can you in good conscience call Obama "that one" in your debate? How can you refuse to shake the man's hand afterwards? How can you allow your supporters to smear him as un-American, socialist, even a terrorist?? For God's sake, this man is a United States Senator! He may be your opponent but he deserves a modicum of respect. I can't believe that John McCain is really that shallow.

The next time someone in your audience yells out, "He's a terrorist!" or "Kill him!" at a rally, the decent thing to do would be for you or Sarah Palin to respond, "Hold on there. I don't agree with the Senator, but he's a patriot and a statesman, and he's trying to help the country his way. I don't allow assassination talk or smears like that. The Senator is a good man, a family man, with his own set of values. They're not my values, and they're not the values that I believe will make America stronger, but they're patriotic and they're good-intentioned. So please do not shout out comments like that in my presence."

I'll be cornswoggled if the man didn't do just that. And he was booed by his own supporters for it.

How odd. A Republican with a little bit of a conscience. It makes me respect the guy again, a little.

***

Went to a Mexican restaurant with 74, Zaftig, and others for 74's birthday. I had a margarita and way too much food. The downside of being a healthy eater most of the time is it knocks your system for a loop when you do indulge. At least at my age. So old.