What about character

John McCain wants to refocus the election away from the economic issues that affect us all to one of “character”. Let’s examine the issue of character. Barack Obama is being accused of associating with someone that has a troubling past, namely, William Ayers. But, using McCain’s own formula for determining character, let’s examine the character of John McCain and Sarah Palin. “She puts Alaska first”. That’s what the current leader of the Alaska Independence Party, Lynnette Clark, said of Sarah Palin. She doesn’t put “Country First” as she would have us believe. Though Sarah Palin is not a member of the AIP, she did address the group at their convention just this past March, saying that she was: “delighted to be addressing the group,” that “the party plays an important role,” and that she wished them “good luck on a successful and inspiring convention”. Palin’s husband though, was until recently a member in good standing for seven years. What is the AIP? It is a separatist organization working for Alaskan independence and secession from the US. Its founder, Joe Vogler, has stated: “I’m an Alaskan, not an American. I’ve got no use for America or her g-damn institutions.” Moreover, he said, “I will never be buried with the g-damn American flag”. Imagine that? The founder of an organization with which Palin’s husband is associated, cursing the US government, its institutions and even the flag that she has the nerve to wear on her lapel. John McCain divorced his first wife, Carol, who was crippled and disfigured in a terrible car accident, after committing adultery with Cindy Lou Hensley and many other women. And let’s not forget the “Keating 5.” Unlike Obama, who was only 8 years old when Bill Ayers committed his alleged act, McCain was 50 years old and a US Congressman when he was involved with Charles Keating. The Keating incident cost the US Tax payers $3.6 billion and the biggest S&L bailout in the history of the US with the failure of Lincoln Savings and Loan. Palin’s association with an anti-American organization, McCain’s immoral activity against his first wife and his dealings with Charles Keating put into question the combined character of the McCain-Palin ticket. This was the single most important decision that John McCain was to make during his candidacy and this is what he has given the country: a vice-presidential candidate and woman who coddles rebels and secessionists and in McCain, a presidential candidate that has questionable morals. Is this what we want or need in our chief executives? Linda Franzmann Dingmans Ferry