I can't believe that it has taken this long for the Church to come out and say something about Rudy's pro-choice stance. It seems like they were all too quick to pile on John Kerry back in the '04 elections.
That said, here's what peeves me about the whole abortion debate: in my opinion, it's a non-issue in politics right now.
If you were to gather 100 people in a room and ask them what the biggest issue in the 2008 presidential race is, I would bet my ass that 100 people would respond, "the war in Iraq" (or possibly "the war on terror"). Next in line would be the economy. The probably the environment. Maybe our dependence on foreign oil with no alternative fuel ideas. Then immigration. Then possibly foreign policy issues (like how the rest of the world thinks that we - Americans - are total dicks).
My guess is that you would have a small minority - maybe 15-20% of the group - who feel that abortion would even be in the top TEN important issues facing the presidential candidates.
You see, this is why I got interested in the Unity08 Campaign. On the issues:
Unity08 divides issues facing the country into two categories: Crucial Issues — on which America’s future safety and welfare depend; and Important Issues — which, while vital to some, will not, in our judgment, determine the fate or future of the United States.
In our opinion, Crucial Issues include: Global terrorism, our national debt, our dependence on foreign oil, the emergence of India and China as strategic competitors and/or allies, nuclear proliferation, global climate change, the corruption of Washington’s lobbying system, the education of our young, the health care of all, and the disappearance of the American Dream for so many of our people.
By contrast, we consider gun control, abortion and gay marriage important issues, worthy of debate and discussion in a free society, but not issues that should dominate or even crowd our national agenda.
Damn right.
The problem is that the "issues" have been hijacked by the uber-conservative religious right wing of the Republican party. Instead of having open discussions and debates about things that directly affect "America's future safety and welfare", presidential candidates - in BOTH parties - are forced to talk about friggin' evolution, abortion, gay rights, gun control, Scooter Libby, etc.
Now, don't get me wrong - I'm a HUGE believer in debating the social issues (gay rights, abortion, stem cell research, gun control, etc.). They are very important to discuss on the national level. I'm just arguing that... well... WE ARE STUCK IN A WAR RIGHT NOW (actually THREE wars). Nobody seems to be doing shit about that. I'd love to be able to fix all of the "big picture" items like terrorism and global climate change. Then we could talk about gay rights and stem cell research until the cows come home.
But here's a news flash: Stem cells and drag-queens are not going to shoot at my buddy Cliff - who is in an Apache attack helicopter somewhere near Tikrit right now.
Research the "crucial" issues. Make an informed decision when electing leaders - based not on your religious beliefs, but based on who you believe will be the best person to lead.
Bert McBrayer - Founder/Editor
1 comments:
Ooh amen.
Sadly, a lot of people my age fall into the 'only thinking about the social issues' category because they're so out of touch - some of my friends included. Boo.
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