I try to be nice…

…really I do. And, unlike many politicians, I make mistakes (one or two of my ex-es immediately come to mind) and I will admit it. I guess this is the moment to admit I was wrong about Paris Hilton being McCain's running mate. And I really wish I had been right about that.
A minor disappointment.
But then I see this stuff on Yahoo news, via the Associated Press about Sarah Palin:

By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer 47 minutes ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told ministry students at her former church that the United States sent troops to fight in the Iraq war on a "task that is from God."

In an address last June, the Republican vice presidential candidate also urged ministry students to pray for a plan to build a $30 billion natural gas pipeline in the state, calling it "God's will."

Palin asked the students to pray for the troops in Iraq, and noted that her eldest son, Track, was expected to be deployed there.

"Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God," she said. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God's plan."

A video of the speech was posted at the Wasilla Assembly of God's Web site before finding its way on to other sites on the Internet.

Palin told graduating students of the church's School of Ministry, "What I need to do is strike a deal with you guys." As they preached the love of Jesus throughout Alaska, she said, she'd work to implement God's will from the governor's office, including creating jobs by building a pipeline to bring North Slope natural gas to North American markets.

"God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.

"I can do my job there in developing our natural resources and doing things like getting the roads paved and making sure our troopers have their cop cars and their uniforms and their guns, and making sure our public schools are funded," she added. "But really all of that stuff doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart isn't right with God."

Palin attended the evangelical church from the time she was a teenager until 2002, the church said in a statement posted on its Web site. She has continued to attend special conferences and meetings there. Religious conservatives have welcomed her selection as John McCain's running mate.

The Assemblies of God, which claims nearly 3 million members, is one of the biggest Pentecostal groups in the U.S. Unlike most other Christians — including most evangelicals — Pentecostals believe in "baptism in the Holy Spirit." That can manifest itself through speaking in tongues, modern-day prophesy and faith healing. The Assemblies of God teaches that spirit baptism must be accompanied by speaking in tongues. Still, some churchgoers never have the experience.

Rob Boston, a spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, lamented Palin's comments.

"I miss the days when pastors delivered sermons and politicians delivered political speeches," he said. "The United States is increasingly diverse religiously. The job of a president is to unify all those different people and bring them together around policy goals, not to act as a kind of national pastor and bring people to God."

The section of the church's Web site where videos of past sermons were posted was shut down Wednesday, and a message was posted saying that the site "was never intended to handle the traffic it has received in the last few days."

Oh, so much here to gripe about it almost makes me cheerful—in a curmudgeonly sort of way.

The Iraq war, "a task from God?" It was a major blunder from George (wants to be God—or at least american dictator) W. Bush! Why would god want us to send our young men and women to fight and die in Iraq when the people really responsible for attacking us were somewhere else!?

And it's God's will that we drill and build a pipeline from the North Slope? Does she really think God gives a rat's ass about pipelines?

AAaarrghhh!!!

Where do these people come from?

Sarah Palin doesn't realize it, but her very existence is an argument against the idea of a benevolent God who watches over us.

And I believe in God. I just don't think She really cares about pipelines and wars, but She may really care about how gddm stupid and hypocritical we are.

So there.

It's late. I'm going to go and release my aggravation by chewing on an old tire for a while .

It's just mind-boggling how ignorant we can be.

God wants us to build a pipeline? Oy vey.

I guess that's better than asking us to sacrifice our first-born son, or to build an ark while He (it's a He in this case) destroys the rest of the earth.

Okay, I said I was going to stop.

But when stupidity comes up and slaps you in the face with such stupid authority, it's hard to stop kvetching. And retching.

Why oh why do these people think that what THEY want to do is what GOD wants to do?

I'm going to have to devour a Firestone radial and also kick a silver maple into splinters to work off this aggravation.

It's a good thing i am a non-violent person—but i have to admit to wishing i weren't sometimes.

Let's see, what am i going to do after i kick that tree into splinters…