A Pointed Reminder That I Am Pretty Neutral, Politically
When Senator McCain's choice for running mate was announced and some of Governor Palin's background was released in the media, there were a number of my friends and coworkers who suddenly looked at each other and spoke: "Wasilla, Alaska. Wait a second, didn't Frank grow up there or around there?"
The answer to that is yes. More or less, anyway (I did not grow up in Wasilla proper, and I went to the other high school :-) ). Trust me, I find even the idea of a local Valley figure ending up the focus of international media an interesting idea, and one that is not a little weird. And I have been able to answer most of the cheesier questions that have been tossed my way without a problem and with good humor.
However, what has started annoying me is the people who are asking me questions about Governor Palin with a particular, politically ideological agenda in mind. And no, for those inclined to jump to conclusions, I am not talking just about my Democrat friends. To all those people, I respectively ask you to take your ideological biases and misplaced political party loyalties and go find friendlier pastures. Whatever my opinion is of Governor Palin's history and politics, or national politics in general, I have more respect for my opinion than to offer them as yet more firewood wasted fueling an ideological agenda. Particularly since I rarely find myself in agreement with either the motives OR the means of that agenda.
If someone has a genuine interest in talking politics with me in a constructive fashion for both of us, fine. You are a rare person, and I take my hat off to you. But for everyone else, I believe that whatever I might know or remember from the past is rather irrelevant today. I do not appreciate people presuming upon my willingness to talk whichever side of the political fence I stand astride to use my thoughts and opinions as a prop for their own ideologies.
Frank the Wanderer
The answer to that is yes. More or less, anyway (I did not grow up in Wasilla proper, and I went to the other high school :-) ). Trust me, I find even the idea of a local Valley figure ending up the focus of international media an interesting idea, and one that is not a little weird. And I have been able to answer most of the cheesier questions that have been tossed my way without a problem and with good humor.
However, what has started annoying me is the people who are asking me questions about Governor Palin with a particular, politically ideological agenda in mind. And no, for those inclined to jump to conclusions, I am not talking just about my Democrat friends. To all those people, I respectively ask you to take your ideological biases and misplaced political party loyalties and go find friendlier pastures. Whatever my opinion is of Governor Palin's history and politics, or national politics in general, I have more respect for my opinion than to offer them as yet more firewood wasted fueling an ideological agenda. Particularly since I rarely find myself in agreement with either the motives OR the means of that agenda.
If someone has a genuine interest in talking politics with me in a constructive fashion for both of us, fine. You are a rare person, and I take my hat off to you. But for everyone else, I believe that whatever I might know or remember from the past is rather irrelevant today. I do not appreciate people presuming upon my willingness to talk whichever side of the political fence I stand astride to use my thoughts and opinions as a prop for their own ideologies.
Frank the Wanderer