Vote Your Conscience (especially in Ohio)

I know it's already been said, but I couldn't leave it alone without adding my own brief digression . . . Tuesday is election day. Yes, everywhere. It doesn't take long to do your civic duty and cast your ballot. It's been said (I don't know where) that an American has but two duties in which he/she can do America the greatest service: military service and jury duty. I would add a third, and that is to VOTE.

I don't feel that this is the proper forum to advocate for any particular party or candidate, but I would encourage you to vote your conscience. In Ohio, Sen. Mike DeWine and Rep. Deborah Pryce both have strong ties to the Jack Abramoff bribery scandal, in addition to the "coingate" scandal with convicted felon Tom Noe and Gov. Bob Taft, who was also convicted of several crimes. Ken Blackwell wants to be our governor, yet he has consistently gone on record stating that he thinks Roe v. Wade should be overturned and that Ohio should be able to ban abortion, and has also emphatically gone on record in opposition to gay marriages, unions, privileges, benefits (whatever!). This is not an individual who can bring us together, he will only work to drive a wedge deeper between the social classes.

I know that doesn't leave much left, but that's just the way the cards fell this time. Please don't be like my dear friend, who is a licensed attorney, who told me yesterday that he doesn't vote. When I tried to persuade him to revisit his decision in earnest, he said that he wasn't even registered to vote; in fact, not ever had he been registered. This is a prominent lawyer who makes his living on decisions made by elected judges and legislators on a daily basis--if this person doesn't care, who will? We have to strive to take a more active part in our own liberty, or else we might wake up one day to find that it's not here anymore.

Read the Fine Print

I sent in my absentee ballot today. I highly recommend doing this in the future, because it gives you the freedom to exercise your right to vote from the privacy of your own home (and without waiting in line!).

Another reason I'm glad to have cast my vote already is that now seems to be the time when all the candidates really step up their "smear campaigns," and I don't want to have to pay attention to the ridiculous ads.

For example, Deborah Pryce is now running ads that attack Mary Jo Kilroy for things that happened while Kilroy was on the school board (nearly 10 years ago!). Notwitstanding the fact that this time was so long ago, it seems unfair (if not illogical) to attribute the actions of an entire board (7 members plus the superintendant) to one individual member. Pryce's ads even reference an independent financial audit which purports to hold Kilroy individually responsible for a whole slew of events, and never even mentions Kilroy's voting record. The problem with this is that the average person doesn't understand what an independent audit really is, or what an auditor's report means. I am not personally aware of any CPA who is qualified to make any of the statements Pryce claims were made against personally against Kilroy, not to mention the entire board.

I don't doubt that Republicans aren't the only ones engaging in this type of deceptive campaigning. The important thing to learn from this is that, as consumers, we cannot take things said in these ads at face value. If McDonald's advertised a new triple cheeseburger with 6 grams of fat, do you think it would appear on the Jenny Craig list of approved foods? All I'm saying is, READ THE FINE PRINT. Question everything. We're not puppets. We have brains so that we can make our own decisions about things that affect us. Let's do that.

Rush Limp-baugh?

I know it's been a minute since I posted--I have been a little busy, and a little pre-occupied of late. So much is going on that I don't know where to begin . . .

How about our indiscreet friend Rush Limbaugh. "Busted" by TSA (airport security) with a bottle of Viagra--that was issued to another person. So what? I'm annoyed by Rush just as much as the next guy, but is THIS what TSA is being employed to do: Protect our country and our way of life . . . from unauthorized use of prescription drugs? Call me crazy, but isn't TSA's job to keep us safe from terrorist attacks facilitated using the air travel system?

This situation is exact illustration of why the Bush Administration's agenda and ongoing efforts to strip Americans of our civil liberties is ill-motivated and must be halted. The government claims, for example, that Fourth Amendment rights need to be limited or excepted in certain circumstances, so that threats to national security can be more readily discovered. But, instead of using the relaxed search and seizure regulations to catch dangerous threats to our freedom, they are using them to investigate Americans for violations of ordinary, non-violent, statutes.

This carries over to the government's controversial domestic wiretapping. The government says they're not listening to our conversations to hear about anything other than international terrorism. But can we believe them? It seems apparent that the Bush Administration does whatever they want to, and tells the general public whatever they want to hear, so that public opposition does not grow into a coup d'etat.

On a lighter note, perhaps Jay Leno said it best last night: "The one Republican with a plan to get cheap prescription drugs, and they arrest him."

And Justice for All

We don't know their sentences yet, but Enron execs Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling were found guilty of securities fraud and conspiracy charges on Thursday. Apparently the jury just didn't buy the whole "I really didn't know" defense. I suppose it's hard to believe Lay didn't know the companies finances were on the virge of tanking when he was getting rid of his own shares as fast as the Florida Marlins dumping salaries after a world championship. Lay and Skilling each face roughly 20 years in prison, which hardly sounds fair relative to the tens of thousands of lives they ruined, but at 64 and 52 years old respectively, if they do get the maximum there's a possibility they could die in prison.

Somehow I doubt either one will be smiling when they meet their new cell mate. Lay told the press, however, that he believes God will step in and take care of them. I'm not a huge proponent of religion, to put it lightly, but it looks to me like God has spoken already--through the twelve members of the Houston jury.

Writer's Block

My apologies for taking an unannounced vacation. It's not that there isn't anything worth discussing, I've just been a little burned out. I'll try to get back on track within the next few days, so please keep posted.

This Picture Says 1000 Words

Another Bush Cabinet Member Resigns

Today the director of the CIA announced his resignation. This comes just a couple weeks after White House press secretary Scott McClellan tendered his resignation. Meanwhile Don Rumsfeld gave a public speech in Atlanta recently, where he was heckled by people in the audience. CNN showed two individuals with large banners calling the secretary of defense a liar--they were both carted off by security, both with Rummy's commendation.

Shortly thereafter, Rummy came under fire from a former CIA director, who seemed to ruffle the secretary's feathers. It seems like everybody has Rumsfeld's number lately, yet he is still at the President's side. I'm not sure what's worse lying, or lying about whether you were lying.

This is probably why politics frustrates me to the point (every year) where I eventually turn to sports. Just in time for the Yankees safely atop the American League East, where they belong.