'TIS THE SEASON . . . OF MY POLITICAL DISCONTENT

Okay...here goes. As we stand poised on the brink of making yet another quadrennial decision that will determine the next President of the United States, I have a confession to make. I have been quietly suppressing and consciously omitting my position on the candidates for president (and any other races) from the electronic pages contained within this blog. I've felt that we are inundated with a sufficiently blistering daily barrage of ads and sound-bytes. Finally I said to myself, "Hey! My (our) Blog, My (our) Opinion!" I recently submitted letters-to-the-editor at the Courier-Journal newspaper in Louisville and the Idaho Falls Post-Register. I am relatively certain that those two august institutions and pillars of journalistic insight will not print my letter. Primarily because the letter exceeds their requirements for length, but also because the content of the letter does not embody or mesh with their prevailing political ideologies. Regardless, I now feel compelled to include it in our blog. This will, in all likelihood, be the only comment or opinion on the election you will find in this blog. You are not, by any means, required to read it. I am just presenting you with the opportunity to do so. If you would like to read it, feel free. If you read it and want to pass it on, again, feel free. If not, hey. . .that's cool too. The letter follows in its entirety:


Dear Editor,

I must say something, if for no other reason than to get it off my chest by utilizing this forum. I am not naive, nor do I harbor any illusions that what follows will in any way facilitate a change in the mind-set of anyone with an alliance to the Democrat Party's candidate for the presidency - particularly those most strident in their adulation of him. It has been my experience that leters to the editor rarely have such a dynamic impact on people's personal perceptions. No such result is anticipated here. Hoped for perhaps, but not expected.

I do not completely agree with each of John McCain's positions in this election campaign. He does not enjoy Carte Blanche with me. In my eyes, he has much work yet to do if he is to prove himself worthy of my complete and ringing personal endorsement. He is, however, on the way to accomplishing that task. At the same time, I believe that Barack Obama is possessed of all the political, diplomatic, socio-economic and constitutional astuteness and insight as an empty peanut shell. My apologies to the empty peanut shell.

It is beyond my capacity really, to comprehend how any one person can speak so much, for so long and say absolutely nothing of import or substance. His platitudinal prose carries all the weight and impact as any other inert gas. The vacuousness of his oratorical rhetoric is both stunning and mind-numbing in its scope; to say nothing of its hypnotic ability to mesmerize those who fawn and swoon at his footstool.

In those rare instances when he has been pinned down and had his feet held to the collective fire of his stances on significant issues, Obama has revealed himself to be a master of political expediency, equivocation and vacillation.

Additionally,his radical afilliations and uber-liberal predispositions aside, his judgment appears devoid of any moral compunction. As the self professed see-all, be-all, cure-all panacea of such things as the economy; health care reform; terrorism; taxes; oil exploration; firearms legislation; illegal immigration and the war in Iraq, he has failed the litmus test of not only understanding, but of effectively addressing these issues as well. Understanding the intricacies and potential ramifications of any issue is imperative if one is to achieve a successful resolution.

Indeed, Obama's open-armed and doe-eyed embrace of the essence of Socialism, i.e., "From each according to his ability, To each according to his need" strikes at the very heart of free-enterprise, open markets and the capitalism that have contributed to this Republic's enduring legacy of entrepreneurial spirit and accomplishment.

Socialism cannot provide for or promote the common good. It can only take, abase and usurp. It stifles and chokes personal, familial and community advancement. It cannot liberate, elevate or enrich because it enslaves, corrupts and suffocates. In its application on any societal level througout history, Socialism has invariably failed miserably because of the inevitable greed, corruption of power and heavy-handed control by the state over every aspect of the lives of the populace.

As an American, let alone as a conservative, I find Obama's relentless mantra of, "Change We Can Believe In", to be hollow, reprehensive and absent of any credible foundation. Change that brings about beneficial, measurable and tangible results is prudent and desired. Change for nothing beyond the sake of change lacks focus, definition and efficacy. It is the harbinger of chaos and the hallmark of an undisciplined mind.

I respectfully acknowledge and defend the inherent privilege and responsibility of each individual to vote for the candidate of one's choice in accordance with the dictates of one's own conscience.

For me however, the prospect of Barack Obama becoming the next President of the United States is at best, frightening - and at worst, devastating in its potential implications for the immediate and long-term future of this nation.

Respectfully,
Greg L Hutchens
United States Citizen
Elizabethtown, KY



There it is. Getting to be a bit long-winded and loquacious in my old age, don't you think? Any comments you may have, please feel free to express them openly, knowing full-well that I wield within my very fingers the power to expunge any of them at my discretion.