A book I'm reading made me realize something.

My dad and my uncles, all dead now, were in the Second World War.  I don't think they fought for the flag or their country. I think they fought because they were supposed to and for their homes - and so they could be done and go home. None of them talked about it.

Free speech can be ugly and have ugly consequences, as we are seeing with violent protests in the Middle East over a film made in America.  From most Americans' perspectives, this one seems pretty simple.  Since few are Muslims, it is easy to say free speech is essential, even if it is offensive.

At the same time, the issue of flag burning still brings up vehement reactions here, even to the point where some have suggested a constitutional amendment to ban it.  Also, the ACLU has been castigated for defending the free speech rights of Nazis and members of NAMBLA - not what they stand for but their right to express their beliefs regardless of how abhorrent.

The five basic freedoms guaranteed in the first amendment to the Constitution are essential in a free and open society.  Chipping away at them for special cases is a truly bad idea, regardless of one's own, particular special case.

My thoughts on the upcoming election aren't unique.  I'm on one side of a pretty polarized situation and, like many, have a hard time fully understanding the thinking of those on the other side.  I voted for Obama and will again and voted for Clinton twice.  I was disappointed when the younger George Bush was elected president, but realized that Gore ran a poor campaign; while all the controversy focused on Florida, the simple fact was that Gore would have won if he carried his home state of Tennessee.  What truly shocked me was that given his first four years in office, the country reelected George Bush.  I think that when it really hit me that I wasn't understanding the though processes of those on the other side.

I was born in the 1950s so have voted in or been aware of many national elections.  I grew up in a Catholic family, but old-school, Democratic Catholic.  When I was very young, the national political landscape was quite different from today.  This was particularly notable in the south.  Among the middle class, the Democratic party was the party of choice.  I assume this goes back to generational memory of the Civil War.  The genius of Richard Nixon was to use nationalism and family values to pull these people into the Republican party; this has continued as a theme.  What has surprised me is the persistence of this phenomenon since it causes people to vote against their self-interest, at least from an economic perspective.  It has been pretty clear that while the core of the Republican party pays lip service to the concerns of the middle class, the policies they advance strong favor further improving the lot of the most affluent.

Obviously, the last four years have been very challenging.  The economic collapse that welcomed the President was daunting.  The dysfunction of Congress hasn't made moving forward any easier.  I do believe that a core group of Republicans in the House has made the President's failure their priority, regardless of the cost.  This was exemplified by the crisis over the debt ceiling that resulted in the lowering of bond ratings for the Federal government.  That a group of congressmen would behave so irresponsibly is very troubling.  Where have all the statesmen gone?

I believe that the President will be reelected; it is difficult to defeat an incumbent.  If he is, I hope members of Congress, with the loss of their prior, central focus, can find some sort of common ground. Some issues have to be dealt with on their own merits and not as part of a larger philosophical argument.

I have this odd memory from when I was very young.  In the Spring, I was in the backyard with my father trying to catch a wild kite.  On windy days, herds of wild kites would be overhead.  My father had a bolt tied to spool of string.  He would whip the bolt around perpendicular to the ground and then release toward a kite.  The goal was to puncture the paper of the kite, hopefully without doing too much damage, and bring it to the ground.  I have no memory of him ever catching one.  I remember thinking "why don't we just buy a kite like everyone else?"