My One Rule for Voting Applied to the Presidental Race

My one rule for voting is simple: never vote for any candidate who I wouldn't want to have elected.

In the Republican race, it means I only have one choice: John McCain. Romney was a good governor, but he has repudiated most of his past policy choices while Huckabee is a religious ideologue.

On the Democratic side, I think Obama is the most inspiring candidate. Certainly, he is more able to unite the country than Clinton. Wouldn't it be great to have a President that makes us proud to be American?

Whoever wins, I hope they close the Guantanamo detention center, renounce the use of torture, and halt the military trials of civilians. Otherwise, how do we differ from the terrorists?

Gore Endorses Gay Marriage

Former Vice President Al Gore endorsed gay marriage saying:

"I think it's wrong for the government to discriminate against people because of that person's sexual orientation. I think that gay men and women ought to have the same rights as heterosexual men and women -- to make contracts, to have hospital visiting rights, to join together in marriage, and I don't understand why it is considered by some people to be a threat to heterosexual marriage to allow it by gays and lesbians." (More details).

May the religious nuts who oppose gay marriage lose many, many nights of sleep over this statement. :-)

A Pleasure to Watch

The last two Democratic presidential debates were a pleasure to watch. The candidates were all articulate, intelligent, and well-informed. There were even flashes of humor. I still think John Edwards is the best candidate, but Obama is the future of the party and I would have no problem supporting him.

I still have reservations about Hillary (I use her first name to distinguish between her and her husband, the former President; I don't use her first name to patronize or to be disrespectful). To her credit, I think she has been a more effective Senator than either Edwards or Obama.

Isn't it wonderful to have choices? So many countries do not.

Historic Firsts in Our Presidential Candidates

This year's presidential race has many historic firsts by the candidates. For the first time, we have a Presidential candidate who is:

- Female (Hillary)
- African-American (Obama)
- Latino (Richardson)
- Mormon (Romney)

That Obama and Hillary are the candidates to beat for the Democratic Presidential nomination shows how far this country has progressed.

The Presidential Race

Tonight, Iowa kicks off the first in a series of state presidential nominating contests. The Republican candidates are all lackluster. Mitt Romney could debate himself, he has changed his positions on so many issues. That's unfortunate, because he was probably the best of the Republicans.

Last election, I voted for John Edwards, but I doubt he has the charisma to win. Obama is too inexperienced, but I would love to see him run again. Like Edwards, Obama has an optimism that I like. Hillary is too much like Mitt Romney, drifting with the winds of public opinion. The other two serious candidates, Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd, are both well qualified but I have been unable to find much info about them. I had emailed the Richardson campaign a question, never received a reply, but have duly been added to their email (spam!) list.

From my perspective, any of the Democrats would be an improvement over the current occupant. Several of the Republicans (Romney, McCain) would also probably be an improvement. When you've hit rock bottom, then improvement is easy.

The "End of Civilization" Candidate

One of the Republican presidential hopefuls, Mike Huckabee, recently proclaimed that legalizing gay marriage would bring the "end of civilization." Does he realize that gay marriage is already allowed in the Netherlands, Belgium (love those chocolates), Canada, South Africa, and Spain, and that a variation called civil partnerships is allowed in New Zealand and the United Kingdom (which consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)? Has civilization ended in any of those countries? Did allowing gay marriages stop heterosexuals from marrying? Did the birthrate plummet? Is heterosexual sex so much worse than gay sex that it needs the special legal protection of marriage to promote heterosexuality?

What of our Canadian neighbors? Has their civilization collapsed and nobody noticed? Do we need to send relief expeditions?

Why does the GOP attract such idiots?

New Concept: Loan to People Able To Repay

Last week, I read where the U. S. House of Representatives passed a bill to reform mortgage lending practices; one of its provisions would require that lenders determine the loan could be repaid by the borrower. Apparently, lenders didn't care that borrowers would be unable to repay -- the borrower would just refinance the loan, generating new loan origination fees in a giant ponzi scheme.

I hope that the companies that produced these deceptive, fraudulent, predatory loans fail.

Congratulations to Al Gore!

Congratulations to Al Gore for sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Along with Jimmy Carter, Gore symbolizes the best in public service. Although Gore was unsuccessful at winning the presidency, he continued to shape discussion about important issues, such as global warming. He also graciously conceded to Bush when many people, including me, think he actually won. (Oh, but for the thwarted Florida recount.)

Oh No! Not Another Wacky Attorney General!

President Bush's nominee for Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, had some surprising testimony yesterday. Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mukasey stated his belief that the President and his administration had the constitutional authority to operate beyond the limits specified by law. Perhaps he could explain how our system of government, supposedly based upon the rule of law, differs from dictatorships? If laws can be superseded, what prevents governmental abuses of authority?

The Bush administration, its appointees, and its nominees continue to amaze me.

Gay and Lesbian History Month

It's that time of year! No, not Halloween, although it's getting closer; rather, October is Gay and Lesbian History Month. From people who have researched this topic, here are some famous people who were gay:

• Alexander the Great
• Plato
• Sappho
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Desiderius Erasmus
• Michelangelo
• Francis Bacon
• Christopher Marlowe
• Frederick the Great
• Lord Byron
• Herman Melville
• Walt Whitman
• Horatio Alger, Jr.
• Oscar Wilde
• Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
• Marcel Proust
• Willa Cather
• Gertrude Stein
• E. M. Forster
• Virginia Woolf
• John Maynard Keynes
• T. E. Lawrence
• Jean Cocteau
• Bessie Smith
• Charles Laughton
• Noel Coward
• Tennessee Williams
• Alan Turing
• James Baldwin
• Andy Warhol

I confess, I had to look up some of these names to find out what made them famous. :-)