What does "Un-American" mean?

Sarah Palin has branded Barack Obama as "Un-American" and claims that he "pals around with terrorists." What exactly does un-American mean? According to Wikipedia the term refers to people who are spies. It's a synonym for treason. The term has been used in the past to combat Communists, Nazis, and the KKK. Un-American - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Palin is making some pretty serious accusations/innuendos about Senator Obama. I say, prove it or shut up about it. What she is doing is immoral. It's guilt by association. Her claims have incited shouts of "kill him" at rallies. Scary stuff which further polarizes our country. And the only thing McCain has said about it is, no m'am, Obama is not an Arab, he is a decent family man. Okay, so does that mean Arabs are not decent family people?

Obama is not a Muslim, and even if he were, that does not make him someone who is un-American, or connected to terrorists. Should we be sending the message to Muslim-American children that they cannot dream about becoming President of the United States? Are Muslim- Americans less patriotic, less American? My maiden name is Muslim. Does that mean I am un-American? My good neighbors are Muslim. Sometimes I pal around with them.

I am glad Republican Colin Powell had the courage to speak out against the divisive tactics of the McCain campaign, and declare his support for Barack Obama. He said that Obama has style and substance. He expressed his disapproval of the way they have branded Obama a terrorist. He does not think that Sarah Palin was a good choice for VP. He's right. In a CNN interview he also called out that whacko senator from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann, who wants an investigation into the patriotism of all members of the U.S. Congress.

Where I grew up, in Elizabeth, NJ there were more Sam the Plumbers (Sam DeCavalcante - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) than Joe the Plumbers, fugedaboudid. Does that make me less of an American than small town Mary Smith? You betcha not.

What we have seen recently from the McCain campaign and the far right is the kind of negative hate that will further divide our country into "us" and "those people" at a time when we should be coming together as Americans. I believe that the majority of Americans do not share the views of the extreme right. I'd like to believe that the majority of Allentonians don't share those extreme views either-- although the openly racist comments at the Morning Call Forum and the Allentown Commentator blog are very telling.

Speak out against the hate.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

UPDATE: Please read this about the new RNC mailer which connects Obama to terrorists. This goes way too far. And John McCain has approved it. GOP mail ties Obama to terrorists - Yahoo! News