Values...
In the last decade, and particularly in the 2004 presidential free for all, I have observed what appears to me to be a certain form of confusion within the ranks of the political partisans. In the election, the majority of attention is almost exclusively being placed on the personal foible's of the candidates. In a time where the nation has been led into an extremely questionable war of apparent conquest, it would appear to me that we need to have a serious public discussion of the direction our republic is taking. Instead of serious consideration, we get a smoke screen of diversion, and increasingly strident partisanism.
One of the issues that has been brought to the fore front of the discussion is that of “gay marriage.” It is my observation that this is a diversion from the real issues. This is apparently brought upon by the extreme southern Christian values espoused by our current leadership. It would appear that “gay marriage”, “the ten commandments”, and “abortion” are being brought out once again to avoid discussing problems such as medical care inflation, drug cost inflation, social security financing, education financing, unemployment, the non existent (but evident) inflation, government incompetence, illegal drug use, illegal immigration, and not the least WAR amongst others.
As to the matter of “gay marriage”, it is my view that what comprises a marriage should be defined by social norms. What ever that is. In recent times, a family has been re-defined to include practically any possible combination of parents and children. With this being the social norm, it is increasingly difficult to divine what should be known as “family values.” Upon this background, certain groups wish to impose their view of what should be “family values” upon the greater population.
So it appears that other than religious doctrine, a civil “gay marriage” would seem to be a logical outgrowth of the re-definition of the family. In considering this issue it would be wise to note that there is a division between religious belief and governmental policy. The division of church and state is, in my opinion, one of the great strengths of the American democracy. It would appear that most religous folk would believe that freedom of religion is the freedom to practice their specific faith.
Instead of wasting time and money on attack ad's, perhaps our politicians would better serve us by stating what they intend to do when they are elected. Nebulous statements of unspecified plans, unspecific paranoia, happy talk, calling each other names, and bellicose threats toward the axis of evil tell us little of the agenda of the various candidates. A “sound bite” is not a reasonable representation of anything. To quote an old commercial “where's the beef?”
It is important to realize that there is more to American life than the perpetual election campaigns. After November, we will have to continue to live with one another. This will require comprises, as neither side has sufficient political power to eliminate the other. In this respect, it is NOT wise to define anyone that does not follow your party line as an evil anti-American. You may end up depending on them.
It looks like more than ever it is important to think for yourself...