According to the U.S. military code of conduct, Section III, it states: "If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole [early release] nor special favors from the enemy."

So, does John McCain's refusal to accept an early release as a POW make him heroic? No, it just means that, in this instance, he followed the Military Code of Conduct. If he had accepted a release, he would have faced a military trial.

Section V of the Military Code of Conduct states: "When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am bound to only give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause."

Now this becomes problematic for our "hero." While John S. McCain was a POW, he made over 30 appearances on Radio Hanoi, telling U.S. soldiers "to stop fighting, lay down your weapons and leave Vietnam." Along with multiple interviews he had with Cuban and French reporters, when he spoke glowingly of his "Long Tall Sally," his wife, Carol, he also included much more information than his name, rank and serial number (five of 20 of these interviews are available through the Freedom of Information Act).

When McCain returned from North Vietnam, what happened to his marriage? After finding his "Long Tall Sally" had been disfigured in a car accident and was no longer the television model he married, he abandoned her and returned to his playboy lifestyle. Six years later, he met his current wife, Cindy, lived with her for nine months before asking for a divorce from Carol, got a wedding license before his divorce was final, then married Cindy the day his divorce was finalized.

And who is the real Sarah Palin? She was a "hockey mom" for just one year. Sarah is a Christian fundamentalist who believes that the Earth is 6,000 years old, that man and dinosaur co-existed, and that her election will speed the "end times." She is a woman who, when she ran for mayor, changed the mayoral debate from what roads will we need in Wasilla to what is your stand on abortion, an issue that a mayor has nothing to do with.

Her husband, Todd, was a member of the Alaska Secessionist Party from October 1995 to July 2002, whose founder spoke of his hatred for the United States. Sarah says she reads everything, yet cannot recite the name of one publication. Then, a day later, she says that she reads "The Economist," a left-leaning British publication that has been highly critical of McCain and his running mate.

It is a very important election we are facing. Educate yourself. Search for knowledge. It is there waiting for you. Vote, but vote informed.

Bill Irwin, Acton, Calif., native of Portage