Alaska governor Sarah Palin is being coached by the pros.

And by pros, I mean the same spin doctors who brought you “Axis of Evil!” and “Mission accomplished!” and “Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11!”

I sincerely hope that every American voter will turn a critical eye to each candidate and ferret out the truth by any means necessary. Complacency is what the McCain/Palin campaign — and potential administration — is hoping for, the same complacency that got us eight years of concentrated deception, the Patriot Act, and two land wars in Asia. At the same time.

Do not believe every speech — look up the facts. Seriously. Your emotions are their target, not your mind.

Do not rely on the media to bring you comprehensive coverage — they couldn’t even if they tried, and not all of ’em even bother to try anymore.

Do not vote your “party line” — decide for yourself who best represents your values and the hopes and dreams you have for your children, your grandchildren. What kind of world will you leave behind? What kind of world do they deserve? (And don’t give me the “death tax” garbage unless your net worth is higher than $2 million. Because otherwise it just ain’t your problem…and hoping your offspring will have a greater net worth than yours will not help them if they don’t.)

Please, America, be aware. Vote for the candidate who believes in you, and in your future, not for the honorable old guy who’s finally getting his turn and the woman selected to distract the debate. Look ahead. Consider how far behind we’ve fallen, and whether you want to be a party to holding us back even more.

I make no pretense of objectivity, here, and I know Real Republicans with Real Reasons for being so…I welcome their arguments. But for the love of CHEESE, if you’re on the fence or voting your parents’ party or want your kids’ education to be worth a damn, please consider all the options –and the consequences — before you vote.