Rick Santorum just doesn't get it. He thankfully lost his seat in the US Senate a couple of years ago, but he's still invading my life with unproductive, disrespectful drivel like his Op-Ed today in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It is a fact that the Boy Scouts of America do not allow Atheists, Agnostics, or Homosexual members. It is also a fact that the United States is a pluralistic society in which citizens and taxpayers are free to believe what they want and live how they want. It's for this reason that I don't think the Boy Scouts should receive government funding. Just because they might be good for the community does not mean we should bend the rules and allow government-sponsored discrimination. In other words, the ends do not justify the means.

In his piece, Mr. Santorum tries to make the point that Philadelphia and Mayor Nutter should be helping organizations like the Boy Scouts and not fighting them. He tries to make the point that there are big problems in our major cities today and government should use organizations like the Boy Scouts to help them combat urban problems at their roots. 

While I don't agree with him, on some level, I understand Mr. Santorum's argument. The problem is the style and delivery of his piece. Instead of writing based in logic, with a persuasive argument that could begin a respectful dialog and potential compromise, Mr. Santorum litters his writing with his typical liberal bashing, holier-than-thou, right-wing rhetoric. This kind of writing doesn't help communities come together and find common ground - instead, it polarizes us further and makes meaningful compromise more difficult to reach.  

Rick Santorum is a man who sees the world in black and white, instead of the many shades of gray that it is. While I know he will never change, I can only hope that he and the brand of politics and social commentary he represents begins to fade away with the Bush Administration. Not likely, but I can dream.