Blue Versus Red: The State of Our Culture War

As the Frontier Airlines jet taxied toward the terminal at John Wayne Airport last week, I could finally breathe easily. After two weeks in a Red State, I was back home in a Blue State.

America is engaged in a pitched battle, a divisive culture war that’s increasingly hostile and unforgiving -- and where the battleground is defined by Red States and Blue States.

Or so we’re told. I’d been warned about venturing into a Red State alone, but took my chances. You might live in a Blue State and have a kindly grandmother in a Red State, but, according to the pundits, you and Grandma are cultural combatants.

If you’re a Red Stater, you’re voting Republican and have one view of the world. If you’re Blue, you’re voting Democratic and have a starkly different view. If confused, tune in on election night and you can see exactly who you are.

I traveled to Nebraska, a distinctly Red State that went for George Bush by nearly 2-to-1 in the 2000 presidential election. I grew up there, but for the last 18 years have lived in California -- a Blue State.

Here are some observations on the cultural gap, based on my foray behind enemy lines:

The most popular politician in Nebraska is a Republican senator who would like to be president in 2008. California’s most popular politician is a Republican governor who would like the same thing. The Nebraska senator has publicly questioned some aspects of Bush’s Iraq policy.

Nebraska has two gambling initiatives on the November ballot; so does California.

Omaha is touting its ongoing downtown development and various high-rise condo projects. Anaheim currently is touting a redevelopment project that will feature high-rise condos.

Angering anti-abortion groups, a federal judge in Lincoln ruled this month that a ban on the procedure opponents call “partial-birth abortions” is unconstitutional.

Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns recently said he doesn’t support giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed legislation that would have permitted licenses to the undocumented. The Nebraska governor told Latino pastors he may name a bilingual aide to help new South Omaha immigrants get information on state programs.

The University of Nebraska football team is using the West Coast offense, as is UCLA. Both teams are 2-1 this season.

An atheist in Plattsmouth, a town of 7,000 south of Omaha, is challenging the city’s display of a Ten Commandments monument in a city park.

A group held a prayer vigil in Omaha in sympathy of the strife in Sudan. Omaha claims the largest concentration of Sudanese refugees of any U.S. city.

The Disney Concert Hall opened a year ago in Los Angeles. In downtown Omaha, construction has begun on a performing arts center.

The number of Latinos in Nebraska has doubled in the last decade. Surveys show that by 2014, Latinos will make up about 16% of the state’s high school graduating classes. The figure now is less than 4%.

Some residents in a suburban Omaha community are suing to block a Wal-Mart. At least one other town in rural Nebraska has also protested Wal-Mart’s desire to move in. In California, the retail giant took out newspaper ads statewide last week to counter opposition to its entry into local markets.

An Omaha newspaper columnist this month chastised Victoria’s Secret for displaying provocative advertising posters in public view in a mall. Last year, a Times columnist took Abercrombie & Fitch to task for its racy catalog pictures.

Red? Blue? Two Americas? Culture war?

If this is truly war, I think we’ll survive it.

Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. He can be reached at (714) 966-7821 or at dana

.parsons@latimes.com. An archive of his recent columns is at www.latimes.com/parsons.