Thinking Not Allowed

I overheard a comment made between two women of advanced age today in a pharmacy checkout line that made it difficult for me not to jump in. Stay tuned for the kicker at the end.

As one woman said to another (paraphrasing), "You know, I was watching the TV coverage of the GOP convention."

"Me, too," said her friend.

"But did you hear them talking to the delegates? I was sayin' to Elmer it struck me as a little strange. They would all say the same thing about Mr. Bush being right and the war being right but each time they got asked to explain anything, they couldn't."

"What do you mean?" her friend asked.

"I mean they would say we had to go into Iraq because Saddam Hussein was so dangerous and had all the WMDs, but if the reporter asked them to explain their answer since there were no WMDs, they couldn't. They could only recite what they kept being told. Bunch a damned sheep."

"Well, I heard some say that we have to support Mr. Bush no matter what. I think they're probably right," said her friend.

"Oh please!" the first woman said emphatically. "Lois, if you can't explain your opinion, it's not an opinion. Dumb dogs and people get kicked for blind loyalty."

A few minutes later, as I hurried out of another store, I spotted the strong-minded woman again as both of us headed for our vehicles. Hers - an old but well-maintained Cadillac - was closer and as I watched her open her door, I spotted 3-4 bumper stickers on the rear, all for local GOP candidates including the Vermont governor. There was, however, no Bush-Cheney04 sticker.

The woman who noted all the rather mindless blather coming out of delegates is apparently a Republican. But she's a lot more than that. She's a savvy woman who realizes that the brain is an organ we should use. We - this whole country, regardless of political affiliation - need more people like her.

She's also absolutely right. Blind loyalty is a rather terrible trait and usually a destructive one for all parties concerned. Like her, I've been appalled that not one GOP delegate I've heard interviewed could explain why Iraq was a good idea except because the president thought it was. I was just as appalled when I heard one - just one - delegate at the Democratic convention say, "We have to stand by John Kerry no matter what."

This election isn't about George Bush or John Kerry. They're just window dressing. Neither will be our savior. This election is for the future of this country and the rest of the world.

We need a different direction. Different as in up rather than deeper down into the abyss. I'm not convinced John Kerry will place us on the right course, but I am very much convinced George Bush will not.