The Evangelicals are crowing because John McCain's choice for vice president, Sarah Palin, was raised in a Pentecostal church and is herself an evangelical. Her shining quality seems to be her strong and proven commitment to the Pro-Life movement. Which is great. Unless you're a salmon. Or a bear or giant crab. Or apparently any type of animal.

Palin, an avid hunter and lifelong member of the National Rifle Association, is not shy about her passion for killing our furry woodland friends. Which is fine: I am in no way comparing abortion to hunting. But I am wondering why the Evangelicals have so quickly thrown their support behind Palin. Do all of them love to kill animals too?

Or have they been so excited that they've forgotten there are other issues to be considered. The Pro-Life movement doesn't always focus on the fact that a large percentage of all abortions occur in women of low and low-middle economic classes, accounting for 78% of all abortions in a poll conducted by Forbes. Palin can be as Pro-Life as she wants, but if her economic policies are bad, more abortions will be sought. So perhaps her economic policies should be viewed with extra scrutiny, because sadly, the person who fixes the economy is the person who decreases abortions.

Furthermore, there are other issues at hand. Last time I checked, millions are dying in Africa due to genocide, AIDS, and hunger. Millions. Global sea levels are rising, threatening the homes, livelihood, and lives of millions elsewhere. Millions. What's her plan for this stuff? What's your plan?

In general, I'm not suggesting that she will be a better or worse VP than Joe Biden, but I am suggesting that there are multiple issues on the table here. Let's not throw our unquestioning support behind candidates about whom we know little. Think about ramifications before you vote.

Sarah told me this evening that her school is gearing up to ban certain foods for the upcoming year. A health advisory committee will be making decisions about foods that the students will no longer be allowed to consume on campus. Even if they're sent from home. Cake, cupcakes, and brownies were the first to hit the chopping block.

Sarah also tells me that the people on the health advisory committee are the school's PE teachers. Really? These are the people qualified to decide what we feed our children? The people who teach them how to play kickball and touch their toes? The people who took 4 years of EDUCATION courses in college? They undoubtedly love teaching and are highly qualified to TEACH, but the last time I checked, the minimum requirement for advising me on what to eat were the letters "M" and "D" bestowed by a medical school. Even then, I'm not so sure how I feel about that.

Furthermore, one question. Are we in some sort of Bizarro world? I was under the impression that this was America, not some sort totalitarian regime where agencies of the government regulate what foods we feed our children. My mistake.

Last time I checked, this wasn't Cuba or China or North Korea. This was the United States of America. And this isn't just about food. It's about the fact that all of us have been standing passively by as our freedoms are degraded in the name of health and safety. I'm not just talking about the Patriot Act and the Department of Homeland Security.

It's true that trans fats are bad. Does this mean the government should be able to tell me that I can't eat them if I want to? In California and New York City, apparently so. But not getting enough sleep is bad. What are they doing about that? Are they going to tell me I can't drink caffeine or exercise before bed? Why not? What's the difference? High fructose corn syrup may have a link to diabetes. Are they going to outlaw Coke, Pepsi, and Mountain Dew? Why not? Over-consumption of red meat has a fairly strong relationship with heart disease and high cholesterol. Are they going to tell people they can't eat steak? Why not?

The bottom line is that the government can give us all the advice it wants, but when it starts telling us what to do, it's no longer a representation of "we the people," it's a regime of "them the rulers." Our borders are closing, our homes are being taken away, our economy is faltering, and our freedoms are eroding beneath us. Something is happening here, and I don't like it.

Call your congressman. Call the ACLU. Call the police. Most importantly, call your friends. This needs to be discussed. This needs to be stopped. This needs to be done together, and it needs to be done NOW. All six of you who are reading this have to do something. Do it. Now.

Sarah is wordier than I am.

I spent most of the day today doing nothing. I can only hope for more of the same tomorrow.

I'm back. We had a good time. Now I sleep.