The Coarseness of Our Times | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: A South Dakota politician throwing red meat at her side is not news - nor is she being original. That talking point has been going around for some time. Let us hope the Democrats have a good candidate to appeal to the better angels of the South Dakota voters' natures. Of course, her candidacy is likely funded by Tea Party extremists, who are probably funding the Georgia bill through ALEC. I won't even give Mohler the dignity of a response, except to say that I hope he may be right about capital punishment becoming extinct - although I am not sure this is a good idea. We essentially kill anyone confined to life in a SuperMax prison - it is death by slow torture and even the convicts know it. Indeed, they know it best. For those who would never be safe in public or even in prison, a real execution seems to be within the power of the sovereign (which is all of us) to protect the innocent from monsters. Of course, whether we are killing monsters rather than poor people is another matter.
Are we courser than other generations? Hardly. We have no legal segregation by race and women are much better off legally. We are not killing native Americans very often (Free Leonard Pelitier!) and by and large they are better off and are allowed to explore and celebrate their culture in ways not allowed a century ago. Of course, the right wing is still frothing over the presidency of someone who is both a son of an African and a descendent of both Jamestown and Plymouth (as am I on the last two). Will the temperature lower after Obama leaves office? I doubt it. The Kochs will find some reason to pump up their side with money and keep the fires blazing. I doubt they will get such intensity. Without Obama as Other, their hearts won't be in it (especially not for Jeb).
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