Politically speaking ...

Alright, people. Prepare to glimpse a rare and timid creature: a political Abby soap box. Don't blink – you might miss it. But now you are warned.

I despise politics. Hearing about them makes me angry and crazy. For most of my life I have excused myself from political involvement by cynically and naively assuming: A. Whatever happens in Congress is so saturated in red tape and bombastics that it can't really make much difference for good or ill, and B. There are enough people who do have passionate political opinions that they won't let it get too bad anyhow. (I've also been known to suppose anyone possessed of a strong political opinion to be short-sighted and worth avoiding.) I have diplomatically categorized myself as “moderate,” and at times I've even had some pretty liberal leanings. Mostly I cocooned myself in the realm of artsy pursuits and quiet idealism, thinking I had no mind for the mundane and gritty reality of the world in which I live.

But things have changed for me in the last few years – I have a family and a little girl, which means the future of her native land is something I now worry about. At times I feel an oppressive moral obligation to do something about it, because cynicism and apathy are luxuries I can no longer afford. For some months now I've been waking up almost in a cold sweat over the upcoming election. This has never – ever – happened to me before. I'm hoping getting this out will restore some peace of mind with the delusion that I've now “done something”; I will now therefore proceed to afflict you with my political concerns. Don't worry – I'm not a political person, and this will probably never happen again.

The first issue is a tricky one - global warming, or climate change, as they call it now. I came to my own conclusions in high school (not since my marriage, as some might think), through my own study and reflection. I do believe there is some change being felt on a global level, but I'm not convinced it's because of man-made greenhouse gasses. In all honesty, I think it's a bit presumptuous to think we and our little anthill cities have that much influence over Mother Nature. I believe in being a good steward over what I am given, because the earth is glorious, continually delighting us with fleeting and delicate beauties. One of my favorite quotes about our relationship to the earth is from Brigham Young: “There is enough and to spare, but woe to him that wastes anything.” There is a lot a man or woman can do to make their home environment beautiful and efficient, but I have trouble with the idea that every footprint we leave or breath we exhale irreparably damages the global ecosystem, and that we'll all be dry and crispy by 2050. For one thing, astronomical data shows that the sun is going through something of a warm spell, which happens about every 1,000 years – and there's evidence of similar trends happening on other planets in the solar system. This is not the first time this has happened either. There's evidence that the planet overall was warmer in medieval times than it is now; they've found remnants of vineyards in Scotland, for instance. Additionally, geological data shows that warmer is good, and that all life, including humans, have thrived during warmer periods. It's periods of extreme cold that have caused mass extinctions and stuff. And I can't think where people get the idea that Mother Nature is fragile and breakable, like a little old lady about to expire from a little second-hand smoke. We're talking about the same lady who lit up some pretty impressive cigars in Iceland a couple of years back – anyone who watched footage of the volcanic activity over there will have been as awestruck as me. Trillions of tons of ash and toxic gases were released into the atmosphere in a matter of days or weeks – that that's more than we've done in recorded history. Also, anyone flying over the expanses of empty space between cities even in densely populated areas of the world may question the notion that we are that big and powerful here. Along with those evidences is my personal belief that God is still in charge, and although He has allowed us to make some phenomenally disastrous – and destructive – mistakes over the course of human history, I doubt He would build the planet with a self-destruct button we could press.

The other thing happened just before the 2008 elections. I remember watching some of the political debates and speeches, and feeling really uneasy about Obama. I couldn't figure out what he was trying to do exactly, and he hadn't done anything that could tell me whether or not he would make a good president. He sounded good, talking about major changes and all, but he was, as they say, a blank slate. The more I listened to him, the more uneasy I became. As a result, I voted for McCain, even though he was just plain embarrassing. I just didn't feel as creepified about him as I did about Obama. And I'm afraid that feeling has only worsened. He's done everything he set out to do – everything he wanted to, and I'm really not convinced that's been anything but bad. I know the media loves him, but I've always been a little leery of what the media loves. Mitt Romney gives me some hope, even though he's not my first choice as Obama's replacement (I would have voted for Rick Santorum if he were still in the running) but there's no question I would pick him a thousand times over our current president. If elected for another term, Obama will destroy us. Romney may not be able to save us at this point, but with him at least there's some hope.

For the record, I don't really agree with either the Democratic or Republican parties. I think they both have some good points and some bad points, but both are incomplete. Personally, (meaning this is a self-indulgent and rather irrelevant note) if I were president (heaven forbid), one of the first things I would do would be to put the 800+ pages of tax code through a shredder, and level a 15% flat tax across the board. Secondly, I think lawmaking should be happening from elected officials, not from the bench. The judicial system is supposed to make sure existing laws are upheld, not make new ones we don't get a chance to vote on. Thirdly, I think lawmakers should support the family as the basic, fundamental unit of society, like the cells that make up the human body. Like our cells when exposed to too much radiation – if the family disintegrates, our society and nation – well, basically, we're toast. I do believe that simpler and smaller government is better, and that lawmaking in government, private organizations, and families should be done with restraint, common sense, wisdom, and compassion.

Almost done, folks. Stick with me for one more paragraph....

And the last thing: when did it become non-politically correct to be patriotic? During a trip this summer, driving through some beautiful scenery, we passed a long driveway (to a ranch, I assume) lined on either side with American flags waving in the wind. As we passed it, somebody in the car said sarcastically, “We're patriotic and you'll like it!” Others laughed. I was a little stunned. What's wrong with patriotism now? Why is it acceptable and even smiled upon for Americans to hate America? Don't get me wrong; she's got some serious issues, but how is our apathy and cynicism going to make it better? I was sad and deeply troubled to think that even these people, who are more sheltered from the media than almost anyone else I've ever known, have been inculcated with the disturbingly fashionable notion that America is bad.

Anyhow. There you have it, for what it's worth. I've said my piece. Now it's time for a snack.

(End note: After glancing over the rest of this old blog, I see an awful lot more soap-box sightings than I thought. So this is where they've been hiding.)