Because of the talk about the flag descecration amendment, I've been thinking about the whole concept of wedge issues. The term has been around for a while, but frankly I never gave it much thought until very recently. In fact, this whole Us vs Them stuff is, to my mind, is at the root of many problems we face. It encourages hate and discontent. It allows people on the "right" side of the issue to feel superior to those on the "wrong" side. Of course, if you are superior AND right, there's no need to attend to the ideas of those wrong-headed, misguided, evil inferiors!

As long as issues are broken down into the simplest terms of black and white, there's no possibility of a real discussion of the issues. If the government is allowed to define acceptable thought and wrap it in a gauzy film of patriotism and goodness, then any disagreement is, by the nature of it's very existence, wrong.

So now we have this real possibility of a flag descration amendment going out to the states for consideration, and if you're for it you are Good and if you are against it you are Evil.

As long as we play a part in the culture wars, we're feeding the beast. I don't know the answer, but I think I see some of the roots of the problem so I suppose that's a start. It goes back to the whole framing issue. . . who gets to define what's good and what's bad?

I guess in some people's eyes, they can't be a winner unless someone else is the loser.