Not the book again, but a few follow-up items on the country itself, and its religious attitudes.
Bishop Alan Wilson drew attention to Sarah Palin — total nutshell.
Jonathan Raban wrote a fascinating column for the London Review of Books titled Cut, Kill, Dig, Drill.
Ruth Gledhill has set up a poll for readers of her blog, on the topic of Is Sarah Palin a good Christian?
This article shold also be of interest. It is raw, painful to read and a very accurate reflection of American psyche.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23140513/the_truth_about_sarah_palin/1
Is this the article you meant to link to choirboy?
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23318320/mad_dog_palin
I’ve been reading Joe Bageant’s book “Deer Hunting With Jesus: Guns, Votes, Debt and Delusion in Redneck America” – an attempt to understand the conservative rural working class through the lives of the people of the writer’s home town in Virginia. Billed as “Damn Funny”, it’s an excellent read, but about the most depressing thing I’ve read this year.
Hmmm. While Raban’s article covers the immense gamut of possibilities between condescension and contempt quite well, I have to wonder if he capable of transcending his own particular “box” with respect to either Palin or her constituency. It is an interesting article, but I can hardly be surprised that those he condemns and/or patronizes are not open to his vastly more “enlightened” approach to the issues under discussion.
Steven
Sarah Palin is a disaster waiting to happen. Why McCain picked her is a mystery. There are many experienced and capable women in the Republican party he might have chosen. His choosing her casts a lot of doubt on his judgment. She is that most dangerous and scary person – someone who is intellectually limited and widely ignorant, but does not know it, or care to remedy it, and has no self doubt or humility. She scares the liver out of me.
Does the US need someone a heartbeat away from the presidency who … fill in the blanks.
Graham Ward’s link Mad dog Palin is very much outspoken – they surelly don’t hold back anything – and very, very sad.
Reminds me of the rampant antagonism here of the decade which lead up to WW1.
Makes one ponder on the rewards of “divider” politics.
Senator John McCain is wildly swinging in the air…if only he could land a punch. I keep thinking almost everytime I see a campaign appearance ¨clip¨….¨John I´m so sorry to know you better, I thought you were REALLY a person filled with experience, good ideas and good-will.¨ Unfortunately, I was wrong. Sarah Palin for Veep is the greatest example I´ve ever seen of the ¨selling¨ of ones personal integrity for votes…makes me wonder if John McCain knows that he has badly tarnished his record/name?
“It is an interesting article, but I can hardly be surprised that those he condemns and/or patronizes are not open to his vastly more “enlightened” approach to the issues under discussion.” You know, Steven, just because she’s a conservative doesn’t make her right for the job, neither does it make her particularly righteous. It’s not my country, so I don’t have a say. But, we are next door, and American political trends do bleed over the border. We will see next week how strong that cross border influence is. Now, we’re not faced with a great choice either. Canadian elections… Read more »
Yes, Graham, that was the correct link. Someday I’ll get these things right. Thank you.
In listening (on watch the other night, the ship’s bridge has satelite radio) to the Vice Presidential debate, I couldn’t stop wincing at “EYE-RAK”, “NOOKY-LEER” and “YA BETCHA”.
I hear enough of this from the deer hunter set AB’s on the vessel. I don’t need this for leadership in an increasingly financially shakey ex-superpower.
How I long for Coverdale, Gibbons and Howells.
I briefly considered voting for Senator McCain. In spite of his water-carrying for the Bush administration and his sucking up to the same fundamentalists he used to disdain, I admired him. I didn’t care much for Senator Obama (I voted for Senator Clinton in my state’s primary); I thought that Michelle Obama always looked like she wanted to hit someone. Whatever bit of me wanted to vote Republican was killed when McCain picked that crazy woman as his running mate. My problems with Obama evaporated. I saw Ms Obama for the poised, intelligent woman that she is. Thank you, John… Read more »
The USA could be saved by knight in shining armour Obama, but the pattern of US behavior for the last decade has been rigourously fixed in a suicidal direction. President Palin is a distinct possibility.