There is a theory in society today that is largely ignored, and I’m not just talking about big people in small bathing suits.

In Ontario like much of the U.S., our political system pretends to operate on a priority of  separation between church and state, but more times than not that line is blurred, with the church (like many priests) usually operating in areas they know they shouldn’t be. A prime example of this is the public funding for the Separate(Catholic) School system.

The Separate School system are elementary and high schools that exist solely for educating children of Catholic parents. They allow the enrollment of non-Catholics, but these kids are at most times alienated from their peers (as jesus would have wanted) and constantly asked, “So you’re NOT catholic? So why are you here?” Which is always a comfortable question for a thirteen year old.  Though I applaud the Catholic board for allowing non-Catholics to enroll, it goes no further to foster understanding or acceptance of other religions.
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Web 2.0 and the social networking phenomenon has changed the way we communicate forever.  Once lost acquaintances and passersby have now become staples in our lives constantly reappearing in the forms of Status Updates and unsolicited pokes.  What used to be a host of static fond memories has now become yet another life story in our forever growing book of former faces.

Facebook, like blogging has given a voice to those that enjoy having an outlet of release.  I am certainly guilty of this.  With Facebook I can keep in contact with friends I would otherwise have lost contact with, I can promote this blog, and also share articles, videos, and information with my “friends” that I personally find interesting or important.  I don’t have to send this information to anyone, and it is strictly by choice for others to visit my profile, but its in the material we choose to post that is creating this monster of open information.

With social networking as it is today, the idea of privacy is being slowly stripped away.  Most times I find this evolution of sorts to be a step in the right direction, it gives the world another avenue from which to find connectivity that transcends languages and borders. But no matter the progress that is made there will always be those that will vault themselves over the line into the area of too much information.

The kings and queens of this royal line jumping are those that think Facebook is the perfect medium to display their ultrasound pictures as profile pictures.  To me this is crossing the line into absurd.  Some of these people  I haven’t spoken to or seen in real-life for over ten years and all of a sudden I am taking a welcome look at the inside of their uterus because I wanted to write them Happy Birthday.

I don’t need documented proof to believe you’re pregnant.  I get it, you, like most other humans are capable of procreation, congratulations.  If these people are so interested in sharing their wonderful news so intimately with us, why not take it a step further? Post a video for us of the conception that took place because mommy and daddy got really drunk at a party four months ago and forgot to wear a condom.  I mean, if you’re going to show us the result of the story, at least include the beginning and the climax as well.

I thankfully know of one married couple still walking along the line of sanity.  As I walked into their kitchen many months ago, there on their kitchen island in a small unassuming frame was the ultrasound of their now beautiful baby girl.  It was at this sight that I took a breath and smiled at the sight of common sense. Not only was this photo not in the living room for all to see, it was in their kitchen, where typically only those close in relation will share its space with you.  Its these people that will likely be a part of the child’s new life and therefore an ideal audience for your placenta’s debut.

Maybe in my aging years I am turning a tad prudish in my observations so I have to leave the door open to make amends if these uterus portraits become the norm.  If these pictures start showing up more often and the women of tomorrow shout in unison that their fetuses should be able to be seen by anyone that owns a computer, I will join them in their fight for acceptance.  I will voluntarily subject myself to a scrotal ultrasound and post the results to my Facebook profile. I will name the image Sydney (non-gender specific) and allow people to congratulate me on my healthy testicles.

And the evolution of our species continues…

Since Sarah Palin burst onto the national political scene she has caused quite the frenzy.  Yet she’s done nothing more than provide endless material for every political comedian in the known world and by association dragged the good reputation of the senior Senator from Arizona directly into the ground.

Continuing my summation of the punch-you-in-the-face facts for keeping Sarah Palin out of the White House…

THE VP DEBATE

I thought political debates were for the candidates to stand in front of the American people to discuss subjects that concern the voters? In this arena, a possible future world leader should not have to be treated with kid’s gloves, especially when she has appeared as an unknown candidate two months before a crucial election.

Senator Biden was supposedly coached to ‘go easy on her” to not appear sexist.  Biden should have been openly allowed to treat her as an equal as he would have treated any male opponent. This began the notion  on the Republican circuit, that if Biden did let her have it, he would been made to look like a bully picking on a woman.  This paradigm is basic sexist logic in itself and a clear indicator Palin hasn’t the substance to play at the highest levels of government.  A Governor who is supposedly fit to co-lead one of the most powerful countries in the world should not have to be spoken to like the new religion teacher at a PTA meeting.

By Republican standards, Hillary Clinton has “less executive experience” than Palin so by following that logic Clinton should be less fit to lead the country.  With that being said, can anyone honestly tell me Hillary Clinton would have received special treatment if she were involved in a Presidential debate?  Would any self-respecting Republican out there have given Clinton one-inch of space at a debate just because she’s a woman? I highly doubt it, nor should they, because Clinton was a qualified candidate and gender should never have been an issue at this year’s debate.

What voter in their right mind could have watched that debate and not walked away disgusted with the prospect of the future?  Sarah Palin repeatedly and openly avoided direct questions, gave a shout out to a grade three class like she was doing a radio interview with Ryan Seacrest and at one point winked at the camera like she was shooting a Doritos commercial.  It was appalling and in my opinion a complete disrespect to thinking Americans on both sides of the aisle.

EXPERIENCE

The big trump card being played by the right-wing faithful is Sarah Palin’s executive experience as a Mayor and State Governor over Obama’s being a “community organizer”.  I must admit, this made me feel pretty stupid. Here I thought Barack Obama was a graduate of Harvard Law and a United States Senator.  Boy is my face red.  I wonder if Obama could help me put together my upcoming Halloween party.

Being Mayor of a town that has less than six thousand people, and the Governor of a state that has a population smaller than Columbus, Ohio is hardly something to brag about as you jump onto the Presidential Ticket. Even if the entire State of Alaska were compared to Canadian cities it would barely make the top 10.

Experience and job title alone does not a quality candidate make, Dubya is a prime example of that.  Palin’s other highly touted attribute is her raising of oil taxes against the oil companies, “I’m a maverick, and I stood up to big oil”.  So though this was a positive move for Alaska, according to most analysts, this strategy is what most oil heavy countries had already done (Venezuela, Canada etc) so it was merely the popular thing to implement opposed to a calculated executive decision.

To be a world leader you should, to a certain degree be familiar with the geopolitical playing field and have some sort of experience and exposure to the rest of the planet. The fact that Palin only acquired a passport for the first time last year speaks volumes to her world exposure.  Living in the world we have today, and to operate with domestic blinders is not only an ignorant mentality but an almost obsolete perspective.

HATE POLITICS

In the past week Sarah Palin and the McCain campaign have inspired nothing but violence and rage towards their opponent Senator Obama in a sickening display of political manipulation.  At least John McCain appears visibly uncomfortable lying to the crowd as his mannerism visibly change. Palin however, the master manipulator whose sultry smile and fabricated folksy quips stay straight as ever in the face of even the most bold faced lie.

Thankfully McCain has recently been trying to sow the oats of healthy disagreement between himself and Senator Obama. McCain has begun respectably standing up for Obama in the face of a handful of racist voters, one of which has been mislead to believe Barack Obama is an Arab.  Palin’s rally rhetoric have evoked shouts of, “Terrorist”, “Traitor” and even “Kill him”, at the mention of Obama’s name.  The McCain/Palin campaign is resorting to using the same type of propaganda used dangerously in past campaigns, like the poster below of John F. Kennedy provoking an angry mob mentality.  Even respected Republican Congressman Ray LaHood has gone on the record claiming Palin’s campaign rallies “don’t befit the office she’s running for”.

The most recent of attacks has Palin claiming Barack Obama “gives unconditional support for unlimited abortion”, this statement alone is empty and worded solely to provoke anger.  Unlimited abortion?  Palin shouldn’t compare abortion to the bread and salad policy at East Side Mario’s and expect me to take her seriously, and neither should anyone else.

The bottom line through all of this is that Sarah Palin is in fact a smart, charismatic woman who also possesses an unwavering, blinkless confidence in herself that is as admirable as it is baseless and dangerous. This all amounts to the fact that though she may be very capable of running Alaska she is no where near capable enough to effectively function within the highest ranks of the American government.

At 72 years of age, If McCain/Palin are voted into office the possibility of a Sarah Palin Presidency is a very serious reality.  All I can hope is that some of the items I’ve presented will be remembered by even the staunchest Republican supporters when they head into the voting booths.

Neither Presidential ticket is perfect, that is obvious, so I dare not suggest that voting for Barack Obama would be a better choice for someone than voting McCain/Palin. In fact I don’t care if current Palin supporters end up voting for Nader, Dr. House, or for the Governor of Louisiana like RedState co-founder Joshua Trevino. But for the love of their country and common sense I desperately hope they will not play a part in putting Sarah Palin into the White House.

It has often been my view that Americans are much smarter than the last eight years would have the rest of the world believe. On November 4th as their entire country steps into the voting booth, this new standard of IQ test has but two answers: PASS or Palin.