Volcano monitors. Sounds goofy, huh? If you live in Louisiana, or Iowa or anywhere in "The Heartland" that Republicans talk about, you may have chuckled along with it. But if you live in Sarah Palin’s Alaska, it’s no joking matter. If you live in Hawaii, it can be deadly serious. If you lived in the Pacific Northwest in 1980, it was just DEADLY. If Bobby Jidhal knows his geography (and I am sure he does), he know that the Pacific Rim is riddled with volcanoes, especially the American West Coast. But wait, I forgot. We’re not REAL Americans. Even Cokie Roberts called Hawaii an "exotic destination". I admit that it was a throwaway line, but it epitomizes the problem with the Republican Party. It’s become no narrowly focused both ideologically and geographically. And while the remark won’t hurt his party, the general strategy of driving the country apart will only keep them in the minority for the foreseeable future.