"I don't want to be in anyone's flock, left or right."
- letter writer Dennis Ahrens

Mr. Ahrens wrote one of the more succinct sentences of the week so far. He was writing in response to Geneva Walters' compass piece about conservative Christians and gay rights.

But I think both his sentiments and Ms. Walters' have a longer reach than one issue.

What do they say?

Don't typecast people. There are still in Alaska, the United States and the rest of the world people who haven't signed away reason for the sake of ideology, who admit self-interest but try to keep it enlightenened, who care less about labels than results, who recognize that we're not always predictable, that we can hold contradictory thoughts at the same time.

I've spent a few nights lately bouncing between MSNBC and Fox. They've gone beyond agendas; these folks are on missions, whether for love or money or both I'll leave up to you. I understand it's political entertainment, and they're good at it and it's not all popcorn.

But it gets old, whether it's choir-preaching or bear baiting. There's an either-or strain to the debate that thrills true believers but doesn't get us anywhere.

Criticize Obama and health care proposals? Must be racist, bought, cold-blooded, witless or all of above. Back gun rights? You're dangerous.

On the other side, there's the cry of Socialism! Yeah? We've got some, Jack, we've had it for quite some time and if you'd rather take your chances back in the Gilded Age be my guest. We've got some government programs that work - Social Security has problems of sustainablity, but tell millions of older and disabled Americans that they should just buck up and go without.

What's that? People should just take care of one another, families should provide for their own elder members? You're right, and they do, every day, all over the country. That's the thing - we work in a mixed system that provides measures of freedom and responsibility, individual liberty and obligations to the common good.

The right balance is rough work and always in progress - individually, politically, socially. That requires people who don't march in lockstep with the flock.