John's Blog

I just took a little road trip to "Santorum Country", as if I needed a refresher course on why I left there. It was a real shock to hear the words "I'm Rick Santorum and I approve this message" on the airwaves and I'm used to dismissing him as a dangerous, cartoonish wingnut along the lines of the evil Katherine Harris. I had forgotten the sheeplike, Bible-toting, single issue supporters he attracts and their lack of critical thinking on most issues. His act still seems to play well for the conservative voters in PA, and it appears that he has narrowed the gap in his quest for re-election, and what I thought was a guaranteed defeat isn't such a sure thing anymore.

Haven't we seen enough of the neo-con shell game to prove the folly in electing numbnuts like this bozo? Waving the "family values" flag gets those in your tent who want to turn back the clock and re-install "Leave It To Beaver" era values as the prototypical family unit. Sure, who doesn't want the clock reset to a simpler time when the American spirit was pure and the empire was in ascendancy rather than decline? But would we really want that temporal reset, since that would also bring back segregation, intolerance, and lack of opportunities for woman and minorities? I suspect he wouldn't have a bit of a problem with that. Family values apparently only applies if your family meets his rather narrow criterion.

I don't mean to make fun of anyone who holds those values dear; there is nothing wrong with having that as a keystone (no pun intended) of your value system. But when you use those values as a tool to polarize the electorate and deliver voters, and your words and actions support policies that are decidedly un-Christian, I have a problem letting that slide. I would hope that we've seen enough of Dubya's "say one thing and do another" type of leadership that people would begin to see through the charade. I'm hopefully optimistic, yet realistically fearful. The shrub and his minions continue the full-court press to scare people into voting Republican and branding any dissent as unpatriotic. Let's hope they see through the desperation...this time!

Some seek solace in the reassuring promises of a politician that he can make things like they used to be. Others, seek the comfort of food, or in this case a fast food chain. As I was driving back I noticed with great glee that the Woodrow Wilson rest stop contained a Roy Rogers restaurant. Named for the cowboy star, who personified the honest, wholesome American image, Roy's previously could be found all over the northeast, ironically gobbling up another chain laden with my childhood fast food memories as they grew. Then one day Marriott (who owned them) thought it would be more profitable to get out of the restaurant business. Sold off to Hardee's, then after a series of bad management decisions and changing corporate owners most of the locations were sold off to other chains. A handful remain, owned by those who purchased a franchise and a few in highway service plazas. When I discover one I find myself drawn towards it like a fly is to a light bulb.

Why do we invest memories and emotions over places like malls and fast food joints? It seems so silly when you think about it. Sure, Roy's stuff was a cut above the rest, but I'd have to admit that I had my share of mediocre fare from there as well. And it's not like it was a place where the family got together or a spot where a life altering event took place. No it was just a spot where you could get a bacon cheeseburger, a roast beef sandwich or some fried chicken. My only conclusion is that I'm far too much like a Santorium Republican, trying to turn back the clock to a time and place that probably never existed. But rest assured, I'm not voting Republican any time soon...unless Diebold has something to do with it!

Tags: politics, pop-culture, pointless ramblings