SOUNDING OFF: Consequences of the McCain-Palin campaign

Continuing to mire himself in the dumpster of derision, John McCain is emerging as a reprehensible scoundrel, and his sidekick, Sarah Palin, as a truth-challenged dolt.

Both are provoking their crowds into angry frenzies.

Some of the crowds are sad and unemployed – castaways from the Bush trickle-down hoax.

Others, eagerly looking for a target to blame, are attracted to McCain’s crafted maverick image or to Palin’s felonious rantings.

Still others are the emotional casualties left from the Bush-Cheney-Rove regime’s years of promoting fear, division and hate.

Using gutter politics, both McCain and Palin are further demeaning the office of the presidency, already tattered and dirtied by a Bush regime which used it, the American people, and religion to further its power.

At a time of financial crisis, both McCain and Palin – irresponsible and self-absorbed users – are exploiting baser voter instincts, all for personal gain, seemingly without conscience, but perhaps a modicum of restraint.

A few crowds drawn to an angry frenzy by McCain’s spurious charges of Obama treason, were somewhat subdued by a supposedly embarrassed, maybe even surprised, McCain.

A totally ridiculous association with Ayers is the main basis of McCain-Palin charges.

A little research reveals both – McCain and Palin -- as definitive hypocrites.

Palin has her religious zealot/terrorist from Kenya, Thomas Muthee, who claims he drives out witches (his threats of violence drove an alleged witch from his Kenyan village).

Palin credits him with using his magical powers to drive out her evil spirits and help her bid to be governor of Alaska, this when he was a guest speaker at the Wasilla Assembly of God in 2005 (Youtube has a video).

McCain sought the endorsement of the radical Rev. John Hagee, who calls the Catholic Church “the great whore” and the anti-Christ, and insists that the Jews are the killers of Christ and have brought about all their own suffering.

McCain has even admitted to knowing about Hagee’s views.

But perhaps, McCain has forgotten his own association with domestic terrorism.

In the early 1990s, McCain sided with right-wing domestic terrorists and voted against tough new legislation cracking down on a wave of anti-choice domestic terrorism targeting women who visited abortion clinics, their doctors, and clinic staff.

These same right-wing anti-choice extremists were terrorizing women, doctors, and clinic staff across the United States.

After Dr. David Gunn was murdered by an anti-choice terrorist outside the Pensacola Women’s Medical Services clinic, Congress passed anti-terror legislation giving authorities the tool they needed to protect women, doctors and clinic staff from the ongoing threat of terrorism.

McCain opposed it.

If we allow this McCain-Palin ugly propaganda drive to continue and thus attain even an ounce of credibility, the desperate fear and concern felt by people in these times of war and economic turmoil could turn into ugly violence.

Gauging the rancor and anger of the McCain crowds, McCain and his acrimonious sidekick, Palin, could, in their desperate and ignoble pander for votes, foster violence against their opponent.

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JIM HOOVER is a Huntington Beach resident