What’s So Wrong with Letting Texas Secede?

One of the most difficult things about being a human being in these times is wrapping one’s arms around current affairs (I am not referring to Anthony Weiner’s hard drive or Senator Ensign’s employment practices where one helps themselves to an employee’s wife). What I am referring to is the ability to assess what is real, moral and right for our citizenry in a way that truly promotes the values and principles of our nation as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Let me be more specific. I am writing about assessing the timber (best word I could come up with) of the current crop of Republican presidential candidates. The ongoing series of debates has revealed characteristics and patterns about not only the presidential aspirants but of the populace that tends to support these candidates in one way or another, i.e., Republicans. As these debates proceed, viewers have been treated to a spectrum of human conduct of the candidates and viewing audiences that tell us what kind of world these people envision in our near future. Example #1; A soldier risking his life daily while serving in Iraq is booed by the audience for the mere fact that he is gay. #2; An audience soundly applauds Rick Perry for executing over 200 people even though the procedural apparatus for making those killing decisions have been found wanting, to put it mildly, in Texas. #3; An audience cheers in support of allowing a man in a coma without health insurance to die. #4; A candidate has denounced the use of a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer (Bachmann said it was potentially dangerous and reported that one woman said the shot caused mental retardation in her child and, #5; The candidates other than Perry trashed him for allowing in-state tuition to qualified students of illegal immigrants (the only hint of compassionate conservatism in all the debates). Meanwhile, back in Texas, where once a man about to be killed by the state was offered the traditional last meal of choice, the procedure has been abolished since apparently one of the 200 plus people who have been killed had the audacity to order a nine course meal before he met his maker. In keeping with the title of this blog, I make the rhetorical observation that maybe the rest of the country would be better off if Texas did secede from our Union. More importantly, in the wrap-around perspective, where are the candidates in the current Republican mix who have the character and integrity to distinguish themselves from this field by standing up and addressing this “bat-shit crazy” stuff rather than fawning all over the people who advocate such things? This is not my father’s GOP. It’s mean, petty, and anti-intellectual, borderline barbaric. Caveat emptor, American voters!