Another post as an aside, not necessarily related to the core mission of our trip.

The news in the United States is atrocious, as is our public discourse generally. Not atrocious in terms of what's going on, although with wildfires, floods and a collapsing economy it can be that too. Atrocious in terms of how things are covered, the depth that is offered, and the effective relating of how people are going to be affected by what's going on in the world.

There are so many legitimate problems going on right now, short and long term, that it seems stunning to me that the main headlines about the upcoming presidential race center on whether Obama is now wearing his flag lapel pin more often, or whether he rebuffs Wes Clark's comments, which are being portrayed as questioning McCain's patriotism.

Honestly, who cares about these manufactured controversies. It is not a requirement to be a President to wear flag lapel pins. Wes Clark saying that McCain being a POW doesn't give him foreign policy experience is not Clark impugning McCains patriotism.

The media creates these stupid controversies to keep up ratings in a news environment that produces cheap, easy stories with lots of emotion.

There are real problems of a short term nature going on right now:
-Wildfires in California
-Floods in the midwest
-Droughts in the south
-Economic depression setting in
-Increases in food and gas prices
-The bombing housing market
-Iraq and Afghanistan not substantially moving towards better governance and peace

There are other problems of massive long term impact:
-Global Warming
-Peak Oil
-How we move away from a credit dependent economy as a country
-How we disentangle ourselves from our disasters in the middle east
-How we reclaim our government from the grasp of moneyed special interests
-How we recreate a media system that informs and appraises people about how their lives are being affected by what's going on in the world, our country, and our region (hint: Obama wearing a pin or not does not affect you at all)

To his credit, in the latter article, McCain's reply to Clark's statement was, in part:

"I think that that kind of thing is unnecessary, I am proud of my record of service and I have plenty of friends and leaders who will attest to that. But the important thing is if that’s the kind of campaign that Sen. Obama surrogates and supporters want to engage, I understand, but it does not reduce the price of gas by one penny …doesn’t help Americans stay in their homes … it certainly doesn’t do anything to address the challenges that Americans have in keeping their jobs, and their homes and supporting their families."

I think he's unfair to pin blame solely on Obama surrogates, given that McCain surrogates serve up the same kind of crap on a regular basis. But he's right that none of this matters one bit when it comes to solving the substantial problems that face the country.

This morning I read the letters to the editor in the local paper, the Owatonna People's Press. Two of them were honestly shocking to me, one about how Safe Sex education is killing people, the other insinuating that Obama is The Great Deceiver, or at least a terrorist supporter.

It is hard for me to comprehend how people become so misguided. Bad stewardship of information from the media is one reason. Intolerant religiosity is another. But uncritical acceptance of authoritative information seems the biggest culprit. A bit of thought about either of these letters would seem sufficient to disregard their main thrusts.

If Obama had relationships (funding or otherwise) with terrorists, the government would have been all over him by now. Honestly, do you think for a second that the opposition party that controls the intelligence and prosecutory power in our government would not have absolutely destroyed the most promising politician to rise against them in the last 15 years? Bush/Cheney's administration would have Obama strung up by now if there was anything at all to these allegations, leaving aside the whole argument of him being The Great Deceiver.

Premarital sex destroying lives is another canard that really needs to die off. Not only is it a relic of a repressive ancient patriarchy, but it is part of a larger regime of sexual repression within our society.

Sex can be great. A lot of that has to do with communication and education. Understanding sexuality and the particular needs of your partner are keys to fulfilling sexuality, and trying to destroy safe sex education programs. My darkly favorite passage of the safe sex letter is this one:

"[those who have premarital sex will have] a heart filled with suffering, pain, guilt and dear and a life that is dry, barren, darkened, fruitless and hopeless wilderness that extends throughout all eternity."

I'm not burdened with guilt for the sex I've had in my life. I'm glad Melissa and I have the sexual experiences we have. I'm going to marry the woman who I love and who I have (and will have) a wonderful sex life with. I'm confident that we're going to have a great life together, sexually and otherwise. We are going to travel through life together with hope and light in our lives, and we'll keep learning about sex and sexuality as we go forward.

All of this fear mongering about premarital sex is overblown and crazed to me. You can have sex and not destroy your life. Every day we keep going is a living example of that.