
Deborah is Ranting ... Again
Bear with me as I
try to get the site back up and running.
Between moving, changing computers, and FrontPage no longer being
supported by my web hosting site, it has been a bit of a challenge.
Here we go!
Current Rant:
October 17, 2008 - a Pre-Election Rant and Request
Hey everyone, it
Deborah. Yeah, I know, long time, no Rant.
As most of you
know, I have not ranted in a very long time. In addition to no
longer
being a voice in the wilderness - much of what I had been saying about
Bush,
Iraq, and life in general was being echoed by blogs and websites I have
had
some changes in my life – mostly moving to a newer, bigger place,
and getting a
new computer that was no longer compatible with my website
software. But, right now, with the election around
the
corner, I figured it was time to pipe up again and impose my opinion on
those
willing to listen. While I would normally send you a link to a
web page,
this time, I am just sending you an email about my thoughts of the
pending
election, because, my website has been down, and I have not got around
to
spending the time and money to buy a new program and redo the site.
I am only
going
to focus on a couple of issues, those that are fundamentally important
to me
and I believe the direction of this nation. Politics is very
personal,
and please feel free to delete this email if you find that what I say
and
believe to be inconsistent with your own beliefs. But, if what I
say hits
a chord, or makes you think, please forward it on to others who still
may be
undecided as the election approaches.
While there
is a
lot going on, I am only going to address two specific issues:
President
of the United States and Proposition 8.
Barack
Obama for President of the United States
With regard to
the President, I was an unabashed Hillary supporter.
Unfortunately, she
ran a terrible campaign, and lost to a worthy candidate, Barack
Obama.
Rather than revisit the anger and accusations of the Primary, I will
merely say
that if running a national campaign is any measure of one’s
ability to manage
complex situations, delegate authority, and put competent, capable
people into
positions of power, then Barack Obama demonstrated without a doubt that
he is
more qualified than Hillary Clinton. His choice of Joe Biden as a
running
mate was a thoughtful and deliberate one – I like Biden – I
think he is a smart
guy who occasionally puts his foot in his mouth, but generally, has the
right
ideas for the nation.
I am now an
unabashed
Obama supporter, and believe at this pivotal time in our country, he
provides a
genuine opportunity to move us forward as a nation. I once told a
friend
during the Primary that Barack Obama could be either the most amazing
leader of
my life time, or the next Jimmy Carter. The more I watch and
listen to
him, the more confident I am that he will be the former, and not the
later. I have friends and colleagues who worry that he is too
liberal,
and wants to do too much. I honestly think that he will govern
from the
middle, and try as best he can to unite us as a nation.
My
prediction, should he win, is that progressives will be disappointed,
and
conservatives will be surprised.
As for his
opponent, John McCain, well, I knew John McCain, I admired John McCain,
and the
man now pretending to be John McCain is not the man I knew and
admired. The John McCain I see has neither the
temperament
nor the patience to deal with the complex, significant problems facing
our
nation. He seems mean, petulant, and angry. His policies, to a
great
extent, seem to mirror many of the Bush Administration, and he, well,
he is too
old for the job. Like it or not, we are talking about a 72 year
old man
who survived 5.5 years as a prisoner-of-war and four bouts of skin
cancer
running for President of the United States. The actuarial tables
indicate
that he has approximately a 17% chance of dying of natural causes
during his
first term.
With those
statistics, even if you liked his policies, you would have to consider
his
running mate when evaluating him. Sarah Palin, in my
opinion lacks
the experience, temperament, and intellectual curiosity necessary to
hold the
office of President of the United States. Despite all
of the
claims about her experience as the Governor of Alaska, I find her
supporters
focus on are her religious and cultural views as evidence of her
qualifications. This is very scary to me. The
separation of
Church and State is something I hold very dear, and is fundamental to
what has,
and will continue, to make this country great. I
personally
believe it is nearly treasonous to use someone’s religious and
cultural beliefs
as the sole qualifier for higher office.
Many on the
right rail against Obama’s lack of experience (in addition to
lying about his
religious beliefs and his personal affiliations). Well, they have
a
point, but throughout his personal and professional life, he has
demonstrated
some very sound judgment, and was chosen to represent his party by
going
through a grueling Primary process. He has demonstrated the
ability
to lead, and to inspire, and is a thoughtful, steady presence who I
believe I
and can trust with my future and the future of this nation. He is
also
the American Dream, personified. It does not hurt that, in
addition to
being a constitutional law scholar, an effective Senator and a man that
I
believe can inspire greatness in this nation, is a loving father and
husband. If you have not decided on who you will vote for
in
November, I urge you to consider voting for Barack Obama. Go to
his
website. Read his platform. Get informed.
Vote No on
Proposition 8
I believe
Proposition 8 is a vile and evil proposition (ever notice they have the
same
letters?) It is an attempt to write discrimination into the
California
Constitution. I have some very good friends that
support
Proposition 8. But, their argument that marriage can only be
between a
man and a women just does not make sense to me. It is
one of
those statements that I keep on asking “why”.
And, more
importantly, why should I, or anyone else, care about two consenting
adults who
want to pledge their lives to each other? The same
with the
argument that allowing gay men and women to marry would somehow
undermine the
institution of marriage itself. Really? If the institution of marriage
is so
weak that two men or women marrying each other is going to undermine
it, then
perhaps those arguing against gay marriage should look into the
mirror
when trying to assess blame.
I have spoken to
some gay friends about the issue, initially thinking civil unions were
sufficient, and their response was clear – no we want to get
married. In
front of our family and friends, we want to say “I
do”. We want the cake,
the rings, we want a wedding. For those gay men and women
who want
to marry, it seems to be specifically about the symbolism and the
ceremony –
they ability to say “I do” to the person they are spending
their life
with. And, if a church or temple wants to perform the ceremony,
who am I
to say no? Why should I even care? The answer is, I
don’t. Well, I do care in that it is not my place,
nor anyone
else’s to tell two people how to define love, how to define
commitment, how to
define a family.
As someone
who,
unfortunately, has not found that special man to share her life with, I
can
only sit back with envy watching those who have found the person they
want to
say “I do” to. People are born gay, it is
not a choice.
I remember asking a good friend when he first knew he was gay.
His response
“when did you first know you were straight?” There
was no decision.
No choice. No “lifestyle.” It is who he
is. And, if we are
all creatures of God, then who am I to tell him, or anyone else, that
they
cannot marry the person of their dreams. Vote No on 8.
Think, read,
listen, and consider the facts and not the fiction out there right
now.
If you disagree with me, hey, that is OK. My father said that
everyone
should be able to agree to disagree. Regardless, on November 4th,
let your voice be heard, and Vote.
Copyright Deborah
Alexander, 2008.