[Pan_Yan]

Mr. Chapman,

If country folks seem a little condescending towards the masses in the large urban areas it may be because of things like this. All people are created equal, and there are many fine conservatives in large urban areas, just as there are many detestable liberals in the country. However, there is a reason that a national elector map by county shows bright blue spots floating in vast seas of red. Comparing the politics of Iowa or Oklahoma with what they debate in Boston or San Fransisco only proves that the difference is real, great and most likely irreconcilable. I work in a first tier city. But I raise my family at the outer edges of the suburbs. There are valid reasons for that, and valid reasons for rural residents to be a little smug at times. Their brethren in the city certainly are.

[gridlock]

"We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity and dignity," she declared, quoting the late journalist Westbrook Pegler. "They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America, who grow our food, run our factories and fight our wars. They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America." Not like those idle, insincere, lying city folks who dare to suggest that America can sometimes be wrong.

Are there no editors anymore?

If you are going to print a paragraph-length quote, the entire paragraph has to be that quote. You can't skip from the quote to something else without being clear about it.

Sarah Palin said absolutely nothing negative toward city folks during her RNC speech. To "paraphrase" her statement to say something it in no way said is just dishonest.

No one seemed to take offense, because no offense was given. The only person saying anything negative about City Folk is Steve Chapman, the lying little twit.

[redpoll]

IDIOT ALERT

I lived along Palmer-Fishhook Road, which leads directly into the heart of Wasilla, Alaska. Wasilla is the ‘burbs. It has strip malls, a Wal-Mart, a little section of freeway. There are cute subdivisions with cute street names. One subdivision has streets named after trees; one subdivision has streets named after local animals. There are typical cops in typical cars. There are frontage roads. There are gas stations galore and quikee marts and that Alaska original, the drive-through espresso stand.

Sorry, Steve. I like your columns usually, but to equate Wasilla with Possum Gulch is just plain wrong. Wasilla is the Alaska equivalent of Levittown.

Just more stupid opinion from outsiders who don’t have a clue. I better get used to it if Palin is elected.

[Albion Wilde]

The most urban states, New Jersey and California, do better than the average in out-of-wedlock births.

I'd be willing to bet that abortion is the reason for the difference in the big, anonymous cities.

[rabidralph]

I'm not saying that I'm better than anybody else, but I'll be danged if I ain't just as good!

[Let's Roll]

"... but four out of every five Americans choose not to reside in rural areas."

And the rest of us who used to live, now live or plan to again live in small towns are VERY grateful for that statistic.

[x]

"Small town snobbery" is just a response to big city snobbery.

It's hardly snobbery at all, just sticking up for one's home and the "little people" and "flyover country."

People who don't live in small towns don't usually resent quotes like Pegler's.

Of course there's a tipping point in everything.

One day, urbanites who've taken it all in stride will look at each other and say, "Gee, these small town people think a lot of themselves. I wonder why."

And at some point even proud small town people may think the boosterism's gone too far.

But for most people that hasn't happened yet, and may never happen.