An Appreciation Of The ‘Heartland’
Wednesday - August 03, 2011
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Del.icio.usMy recent column about conservatism in heartland America lit up my email inbox.
Most figured I’d never been there, so I’ve replied that I’ve tent-camped through small-town Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, Missouri,
Arkansas, Louisiana and West Virginia, and engaged local folks.
You have not done heartland until you’ve spent time in the general store of Cass, W. Va., or the Silver Dollar Inn of White Bird, Idaho.
One email was from a Brigham Young University Hawaii administrator who said:
“What sets you liberals apart from those of us who espouse traditional conservative values you are the enlightened elite; we are social Neanderthals interested only in keeping what we have and denying rights to anyone different from us.”
No, Neanderthals buried their dead ceremonially with flowers. Big, ugly foreheads but high intelligence.
“I would prefer to raise my children in a socially conservative, Bible-thumping America than in the squalid, drug-infested, welfare dependent, socially enlightened (i.e. pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, anti-religion) areas of the two coasts.”
I’d appreciate fewer druggies, too. Most Americans are not welfare-dependent or antireligion. We slowly are becoming pro-abortion and gay marriage. And now, gays in the military. That’s just ever-changing society.
“Living here in Hawaii where even the news is so one-sided, I can see why most people are Democrats.”
The news is the news. I’ve never found it one sided. Yes, Democrats prevail here except for those eight Linda Lingle years.
“You’d probably hate to spend even a day in a place where people go to church on Sunday, worry about a government spending far beyond its means, and struggle to teach their children right from wrong because the school system is now required to teach a left-wing social agenda at the expense of reading, writing, and math.”
I’ve spent all my life in places where people go to church on Sunday. I have no problem with anyone’s religion so long as it does not impinge on secular life; keep it at home and in the church, temple and mosque.
I know of no left-wing social agenda at the expense of reading, writing and math.
Our ideas compete for acceptance.
By making its reporters sign off stories with “Hawaii’s News Leader,” Channel 2 News crossed the ugly line between barely-OK promotion and scuzzy commercialism.
Where does it end?
I suppose the Hawaii News Now combo could sign off as “With More Viewers Than Anyone Else.”
KITV’s might be “The Most
Experienced Reporters In Town.” Or maybe “Always Number 3 and Proud Of It.”
How about just giving us better news coverage?
Methinks the State Office of Information Practices (OIP) has wimped out in saying it cannot compel agencies to produce documents for the public.
Technically, that’s true.
It does not have subpoena power.
But I think it was set up by former Gov. John Waihee (one of his best doings) to embarrass agencies into releasing documents by declaring those them to be in its judgment public.
Govs. Cayetano and Lingle let the OIP be what it can be.
Gov. Abercrombie got miffed at its decision that he must release the names of those on the short list for court appointments. So he installed a Neilcompliant OIP director.
She Cheryl Kakazu Park has taken the office way, way downhill.
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