Yet Another Ugly Word of Hate

Quick note: I was at one of my usual haunts, chatting with a pair of women in the new house sales business. Oregon came up, as a nice place to live. "Oh," one woman said, tossing her hair aside, "I couldn't live there."

"Why not?" I asked.

She looked around (the empty place). "Well," she confided, across four bar stools, "it's the rats."

I looked puzzled.

"You know," she said, throwing her shoulders back a bit. "'Rats. DemocRats."

It's nice to know the quality and level of political discourse hasn't changed much since '96. Scorn and hate are legal tender in this modern American debate on "traditional values" and the future of our children, our country and the planet. And hate-mongers who get paid to rile, not solve problems, benefit more than anyone else.

Of course, we're not the only victims here: just ask Tom Delay about his portrayals.

I guess there's enough hate to go around. How sad.