on Monday, I returned from a two-week vacation where I did my best to unplug and remove myself from the constant clatter of voices that berate us on a daily basis from our televisions, computers, and phones about current "issues" and politics.  I very much wanted to spend some time not discussing or listening to discussions about the economy, President Obama, issues of race, gay rights, and (god. please. no more.) health care reform.  Of course, it's not possible to entirely remove oneself from all of this without turning off the iPhone (no, I can't do it!) and/or heading out into the woods, trekking into the desert, or sailing out to a desert isle.  I did my best, but you know...

Now that I'm back at work and the din is as loud as ever, I've tried to use my brief moment of quiet to achieve a little clarity on what is going on and to sit back and observe rather than engage.  One thing that I've noticed, and something that's been pointed out by many of the more liberal talking heads, is who the people are who are showing up shouting at these "Town Hall Meetings". I perceive them as being white, mostly older, seemingly uneducated (that might be unfair but this is my observation, so scram!), heterosexual, mostly male, and not from an urban environment.  Or "Real Americans" as Sarah Palin would tell us. ...