Today's Washington Post has an article about the generally inappropriate attire of all-too-many Reagan mourners.

I must ask: is this what the Post considers newsworthy? Couldn't the valuable copy space have been used for an Iraq-situation "think" piece? Or at least anything that required the sparking of at least three brain neurons?

For one thing, the very existence of the article manages to reaffirm the appearance of the Reagans as an American royal family: how dare the common folk show up in casual attire! Take them out & flog them in the public square, I say!

Also, it suggests that many Americans attending are, shall I say, not your more typical Republican, meaning upper-income, well-to-do, fully attired in appropriate clothing. It brings to mind that for whatever reason, many "average Americans" are Republican and yet if they sat down and conducted a thorough analysis of what each party truly stood for, I would venture to say it would be an eye-opening exercise. The Republican Party plays on (preys on) this deceptive, bait-and-switch tactic to garner their votes. Example: the Bush tax cuts meant very little to these more/less average Americans, and yet Republicans went out of their way to convince such folks that the cuts would translate into significant tax savings to them. Not so. Instead, they take advantage of the popular anti-tax sentiment in this country and further whip up that frenzy to win votes. The same can be said for the environment as the average American supports environmental protections, but seemingly gives the Republican Party a "pass" when it comes to their litany of anti-environmental measures.

How could this be? Is the average American that mindless? I don't pretend to have the definitive answer but I will offer a guess or two. My feeling is many have simply adopted the party that their parents favored when growing up. As one matured into a young adult, to question one's parents' party affiliation is to in effect question your parents' judgment -- and we know what a slippery, difficult road that leads down! Thus, party affiliation ties in with the widely-dysfunctional child/parent, Mommy/Daddy-can-do-no-wrong dynamic.

In addition, unwavering party affiliation often comes down to something all too American: team mentality. Similar to someone growing up their entire life as a NY Yankee fan, a Chicago Bears fan, a Houston Rockets fan, etc., one sticks with their party affiliation through thick & thin, not questioning the issues at stake or even considering the notion that perhaps it's time for a change. I feel many will laugh at this observation, but go ahead and laugh. The fact is it's all too true. There are many folks who are Republican (and Democrat for that matter) who defend their party, yet have no idea what their party stands for on an issue by issue basis. They grew up with the Republican Party as their "team" and gosh darn it, they're going to defend that team no matter what! It's just ludicrous & idiotic. Obvious point: political party affiliation is a far cry from sports team allegiance.