Anchor Struck

Even though Isaac veered away from Tampa, I’ll idly speculate winds will reach hurricane

force there at the Republican national convention. I caught some of the speeches in ’08 and

decided that life is too short to subject myself to that torture again.

Watching speakers like Sara Palin and Rudy Guiliani sneer at anything non-GOP, I was struck

by how they mistook meanness for toughness.  This year’s list includes as diverse a group as

could be mobilized to convince a sliver of  independent voters that this paternalistic party

does indeed pitch a big tent.

That tent, however, will not cover those in civil unions, pregnant rape or incest victims

seeking abortions, or those seeking equal treatment under the law as long as they’re not

hurting anyone else.  These groups have just been rejected by the Republican platform

committee.

All the diversity will be on stage.  If the crowd this time is like that of the last convention,

you’ll need sunglasses when the cameras pan across it, due to the glare from the whiteness.