Electial Dysfunction
It's obvious that there is a Presidential Election in the near future. Not because of the daily debates, the political commercials, but because the Republicans are again pulling their"scare tactics" from their "bag of tricks."
Every four years we are reminded about the married gay man who has a cloned, undocumented Mexican who refuses to learn English, as a lover, but plans to burn an American Flag.
They don't concern themselves with the facts that young men and women are dying in Iraq for a lie, with the fact that we are becoming a third world country economically, that we are already behind many countries in Math and Science or that parents can't afford to pay for their children's health care.
Why is this, when eight years ago we had a surplus? Because all the Republicans have done well is scare people. They claim to be antigovernment. So by definition they run for offices they themselves feel their goal is to do as little as possible.
Why do they care about gay marriage? If you call it anything else, some rights which are defined as personal to a married couple are bound to fall through the cracks. If they care so much about family values, that is all these people are asking for. God knows, they can't do much more damage then we heterosexuals have done to marriage.
I've never heard anybody who talks about stem cell research mention cloning. I know in Woody Allen's Sleeper they tried to clone their fascist leader by using the parts that remained, his nose. I've got an idea, have the secret service guard Bush and Chaney's noses. That way nobody will attempt to clone our fascist leaders.
When I went to school, we were taught that this country was a "melting pot." That immigrants were welcome. Is it because Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity's families are already here that we now want to close the door? I shiver to think what would have happened to my family if my grandparents and great-grandparents were not allowed to enter.
Folks, burning a flag is protected speech. I don't condone the action, it's reprehensible, but I do condone the right to protest. By the way for all of the "strict constructionists" so does the constitution.
Please pay attention to what matters, The war, health care, education, allowing science to proceed. Don't let them divert you.
Jello