I am going to repost a large portion of a letter I wrote this morning in "The War Room." I have edited the letter.

I cannot believe the "uproar" over Sen. Obama's comments. The truth is that people in my area HAVE turned toward religion, guns, and (in some cases) fear of the Other. This statement is so true that the only "shocking" thing about it is that someone actually articulated what many of my neighbors are feeling. So yes, religion is very important to my neighbors, because it is the only thing that hasn't let them down. Economic policies of the past 30 years have completely ignored this region. It is difficult to take out frustration on an economic policy or a multi-national corporation, so (unfortunately) some of my neighbors transfer there frustrations to what they see as an attack on their culture by outsiders. In essence they are personifying the anger and frustration they have for the faceless corporate interests to the Other. Howard Zinn writes wonderfully how moneyed interests keeps minorities lower class whites and other marginal peoples fighting amongst each other in order to consolidate power. And yes, many of my neighbors feel that ALL they have left is religion and their guns. I am neither defending or attacking these folks; this is just the way it happens to be.

Manufacturing jobs are gone. Small towns like mine (Mechanicsburg) are rotting from the inside out while big box stores and strip malls are proliferating miles from town near the highways. Locally owned stores are disappearing. Even Hershey has begun shipping its jobs away. If you drive 10 minutes east from where I live you will find yourself in the blighted inner-city of Harrisburg. If you drive 10 minutes west you will find yourself in the rural countryside where small farms and small families are increasingly being taken over by giant warehouses and McMansions. The squeeze is tangible. We ARE pissed off, we are economically insecure, and have been for years. Of course my neighbors have turned inward.

What really makes me want to smash things is how the MSM has been playing this, as if this was a real controversy. Uh, ironic that cultural elites and millionaire "news" people (as well as Sens. McCain and Clinton) huff and puff and raise their eyebrow, hyping this as if there were another side to the story, as if people in small town PA are happy-go-lucky and optimistic after watching their jobs and economic security slowly erode for decades. Where are these people? Manhattan? L.A.? San Fransisco? The optimistic and content are certainly not here.

Let me put it this way: The most popular candidate in this area is Ron Paul. If that's not bitter, I don't know what is.

The irony is that as things begin to crumble further and our comfortable and sedentary world gives way to hardship, shortages, and breakdown, all the elites and overeducated specialists will be desperately looking to "the rubes" to rescue them. You know, the folks that can actually farm, fix things, and creates things. Who will be the "rube" then.

I don't know about other Pennsylvanians, but I am completely exhausted by the oftentimes inane trivial minutia that has passed for the democratic process over these six long weeks. There are two wars, an economy teetering on collapse, and a looming energy crisis coupled with an ecological crisis. I wish Obama and Clinton partisans had made better use of their time. Instead we got bowling, drinking, and "the bitter thing." We also got Clinton and Obama partisans sniping at each other in stupid, mean, and unproductive ways.

The argument between Obama and Clinton partisans is like 'who's a better rock guitarist?: Hendrix or Clapton?' Well, they're both better than Ted Nugent.

I am not really a partisan Democrat (although I normally vote for Democrats for President or Senate). I switched from the Green Party to Democratic party when it became clear that PA would have a say in the Primary. I like both candidates, and will enthusiastically support either one should they get the nomination. But the divisiveness and pettiness displayed by both candidates' supporters coupled with the stupid "gotcha" politics of the MSM left a real bad taste in my mouth. I will definitely switch back to the Green Party and work to build that party on a local level. It seems that most rank and file Democrats are no better than intolerant rightwing dittoheads. Come on progressives! We are better than that! Don't we pride ourselves on seeing other people's point of view and embracing difference?

These median sales prices and statistics are, I'm guessing, national numbers. Is the housing market bad everywhere? Obviously some places are worse off than others, but I'm wondering if there are regions that have weathered the market bust intact. And if so, what did these areas do or not do to maintain rational housing prices? Will these areas be hit hard by proxy? Are we talking about irresponsible regional markets that are skewing prices downward nationally?

I too live in PA, and that is kind of why I asked the question(s). I have not seen the housing bust in my area. But I am concerned that the unstable market will unduly effect housing prices in this region, even though housing prices here have stayed rational, and most people (like my wife and I)who buy houses opt for a fixed rate mortgage rather than the risky adjustable rate mortgages or the colossally stupid sub-prime mortgage ("ownership society" my ass--more like the greatest swindle perpetrated on the poor in a generation).

Well the past 11 pages have sadly proven the point I made on page 2. Most of you partisans are no better than stupid cheerleaders rather than informed and responsible citizens.

Oh well, "fuck it Dude, let's go bowling".

I'll buy the first round of shots.