I don’t really give two craps about associations…

I think that’s important to say. Because all of us have known or worked or dealt with people we don’t necessarily like. During my life, I’ve worked with DPs who were doped up on cocaine - does that mean I’m a cocaine addict? That I endorse cocaine addicts? No, it doesn’t. But situations happen, life happens, and we move on from there. And that’s not the least of my associations or acquaintances.

Let me dare to be presumptuous and say that you also have a lot of skeletons in your closet in the guise of people you’ve worked with, met, hung out with, on and on and on. People you didn’t know anything about or people who maybe you knew weren’t the most savory of characters, but realized that what made them less than role-model didn’t have a direct bearing on your life or your goals.

I’m not asking you to state who they are. I’m just asking you to realize the simple truth of this.

Personally, I think it’s who you are, who the person is, what they say, what they do, that matters more. Maybe your dad was an alcoholic or drug addict who cheated on your mom or beat your brother. Does that make you any of those things? Do the sins of the father or the friend immediately sully you?

In my mind - No.

Now, with all that being said…

People in glass houses should not throw stones. I’ve heard, ad nauseam, about Barack Obama’s horrible, horrible associations. About how the people you’ve associated with matter. How Bill Ayers somehow defines who Obama is. How Rev. Wright somehow defines who Obama is.

So let me ask you - does this matter to you? Do you consider these associations somehow important in deciding who to vote for in the election? If so…

• What about Pastor Muthie? Don’t know who he is? Go here: Read-A-Roo! - this guy accused a woman of witchcraft, organized a mob and ran her out of town. He has been a huge proponent of Sarah Palin, has preached at her church numerous times, and there are videos of her accepting his endorsement and thanking him for it.

Crazy pastors on both sides. Does that matter to you? Or is it because you consider what Reverend Wright said to be anti-American?

• Okay, so what about the Alaskan Independence Party and Sarah Palin’s ties to that? Her husband was a member of the party, and she even recorded a video (as governor, this year) to be shown at their annual convention. Here - Read-A-Roo! - and now, realize that the goal of the Alaskan Independence Party is to secede from the USA, and in fact, its founder has made numerous anti-American statements that are clearly part of record.

So there’s your anti-American right there. Or maybe you’re thinking that it doesn’t matter, because Sarah Palin is VP candidate, and not the Presidential candidate. Hmm, well….what about -

• John McCain was involved and was even reprimanded for his involvement in the Keating5 scandal.
• John McCain is friends with G. Gordon Liddy, central Watergate figure and a 70’s radical who helped people figure out the best way to shoot police: Read-A-Roo!
• John McCain worked on an extreme committe for ’social freedom’ that supported a group that supplied weapons to rebels to overthrow the government of Nicaragua: Read-A-Roo!

The list is huge. For both McCain and Palin.

Does it matter?

In my mind? No. I think these people associated with people who had little to no influence on their politics or their decisions.

However, Obama’s not calling McCain or Palin out on their associations. He’s not making aspersions they’re terrorist, anti-American or corrupt because of their past associations. It’s the McCain/Palin campaign that’s doing all the mud-slinging in that regard.

So are you a hypocrite?

It’s really that simple. If you honestly care, if you honestly think that Obama’s associations disqualify him, then you must be intellectually honest and realize that the same applies to McCain & Palin.

If you’re going to vote against Obama, at least realize why you’re doing it, and apply that same critical eye to your own candidates of choice. Do they come away any cleaner?

Have your issues - but just make sure that your candidate isn’t guilty of the same thing. And please, actually know your issues. Know what someone stands for, understand what their goal is in when they get into office, what their approach is.

If they can’t define it - then maybe they don’t even know…so how can you?