The Smell of Fear

I was born in Arizona (albeit in a more liberal city than where I currently live), and there are a lot of things that commend this state.

The politics of the majority of its people is not one of them.

You can generally rely on Arizona to be a Republican state in any election – which is one of the reasons that I think we need a whole new electoral system, since my vote is almost invariably completely lost in the noise and I am effectively without representation. (Yet I’m still taxed. Hmmm… Taxation without representation. That’s got a catchy sound to it, doesn’t it?)

Today I heard something that gives me hope.

I telecommute on Wednesdays, which is usually one of my most productive days. No one is around to bother me and I can really go heads down and get some computer work done.

The only thing that interrupts me are phone calls at home. Since I’m at work, I generally let the answering machine answer for me, only picking up if it’s actually something important. Of course, that doesn’t stop me from hearing what the call was about. Imagine my surprise when I heard this:

I’m calling for John McCain and the RNC because Barack Obama is so dangerously inexperienced, his running mate Joe Biden just said, he invites a major international crisis that he will be unprepared to handle alone.

If Democrats win full control of government, they will want to give civil rights to terrorists and talk unconditionally to dictators and state sponsors of terror. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the experience and judgment to lead America. This call was paid for by the Republican National Committee [and phone number]

I got a McCain Robocall!!! He’s running scared in his own state!!!! A state that wouldn’t elect a democrat if you covered him in butter and bacon and served him on a sandwich with some nice fava beans.

And I love the fear-mongering tone of the message… “…he invites a major international crisis that he will be unprepared to handle alone.”

Thank goodness that a good president surrounds himself with competent advisors and cabinet members so he doesn’t have to do things alone. (Unless he’s a cowboy moron.)

“Civil rights to terrorists…”! Gasp! Or does he mean, “Suspected terrorists”, read: People, not found guilty of a crime. Come to think of it, even murders and pedophiles in our jails have, by laws, “civil rights” (certainly, somewhere diminished civil rights, but civil rights nonetheless.)

And he would, “…talk unconditionally to dictators and state sponsors of terror”!!!! Again, gadzooks! Talk to them?! I suppose he means as opposed to, as past administrations have done, given them money, military aide and sold them weapons.

F-ing hypocrites! And besides, what fool wouldn’t at least try to talk first to someone with an opposing point of view before adopting a posture of belligerence. There will be plenty of time for belligerence later.

I hope this portents great things to come… ie, the crushing defeat of McCain even in his home state.