Okay, so the Dems are currently in a pitched battle to determine who their nominee will be and, for the first time in a very long time (at least as long as I can remember, which is a considerable number of years), the GOP is having the same struggle and exactly the same time. I mean, think about it: when was the last time you didn't know who the nominee was going to be for at least ONE of the two major parties?
This is, without question, a historic year. (Or AN historic year, depending on how you feel about your articles.)
So...who do we fear the most on the other side? Let's run down the list:
Mitt Romney: If John Kerry was a flip flopper (and he wasn't, but for the sake of argument, we're letting that go for now), Mitt is a regular gymnast. Formerly pro-choice, he's now- lord have mercy!- seen the light and he's "pro-life." Used to be a big fan of gun control- whoops!- no more. Used to like gay people...well, that ship has sailed, too. Didn't have a problem with them immigrants working on his lawn, but now? He wants 'em OUT! And on and on and on. Mitt's never seen a position he can't embrace from both sides. And let's not mention the Mormon thing. Magic underpants and all that? Would make for a lot of hay in the general election, so nope. Not afraid of Mitt.
John McCain: The most senior of our Republican senior citizens. Former maverick but now born-again George Bush lick-spittle. Committed political suicide by embracing the Iraq war. Also pro-immigration, which turns off at least as many Republicans as to ensure a Dem victory should he be the nominee. So....nope. Not afraid of John.
Rudy Guiliani: I've said it before, I'll say it again- PLEASE NOMINATE THIS MAN. He is, without question, the most unelectable of this crop of candidates. How to list all the negatives? Let's try: Pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-gun control, thrice divorced, corrupt, lousy judge of character...I could go on all day. Suffice it to say- he's the dream candidate. The only possible downside to his being nominated? Good lord...what if he won? Think life couldn't be worse than a Dubya presidency? Think again. But overall? Not afraid of Rudy. Not me.
Fred Thompson: You mean Ol' Sleepy? Please. He doesn't even want to win very much. And with the writers on strike, he doesn't even have a good stump speech. Not afraid of Fred.
Mike Huckabee: The only real threat, in my opinion. The righties SHOULD love him and, should he be the nominee, they will learn to love him fast if they don't already. Socially conservative (to the point of raising your hair if you look closely enough), charming, funny, smart (despite his opposition to...you know...evolution) and potentially dangerous. Afraid of Mike. And with good reason.
And the rest...why bother? It's going to be one of the above.
So...who is going to be the one to topple this class of clowns? An analysis of the Dem nominees coming soon.
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Of course, we could continue our email dialogue (for which I am very grateful), but if I comment here, I have the double benefit of making you feel justified for creating your blog AND possibly being read by the thousands of fans who will log in!
(First, having read your introduction, I relate to your concern over "Who the hell cares what I think?" Being a singer-songwriter, I must maintain the illusion that a bunch of people actually give a crap about what I think. In actuality, there are probably only two, and Caleb is only six and too young to know better. But it's kind of foundational thing about singer-songwriters, I think. I'll blame my mom... she did a very good of a job making me feel important.)
In truth, I probably just should keep my P.O.V. to myself as pertains to this election, since I really don't... eh... play fair.
You see, my "platform" is a "scientific" one, in a word, and I believe that irrational belief systems (religions) are dangerous and very costly across the board. That means that even those that are relatively benign are at the root, just as dangerous as those that promote suicide-bombing. That's my position, in a nutshell. So while I would be absolutely ecstatic if there were a candidate who was unashamed and unafraid of calling himself an atheist and didn't feel that he had to pander to the prevailing population of religious nut-jobs, let's face it -- a highly qualified atheist probably has a worse chance of being elected President than a repentant terrorist.
So, if I really want to offer any credible commentary on this election, I probably should confine myself to the framework. But as I really don't like the framework (a two-party system is only just slightly better than a dictatorship) I opt to piss on the whole thing from where I stand!
Within the framework, of course, a joker like Huckabee is making a very smart move (whether he actually believes the crap he spews or not). It is an interesting experiment... can he win an election on fundamentalist platform? I for one won't be terribly surprised.
Yes, perhaps I'm bitter. Bitter about the '04 debacle, and bitter about the fact that no one anywhere is even close to addressing "my" issues of concern.
For, who is talking about the human Population problem? No one. (Of course, in America, we don't need to worry about that, because we've got ours under control, right?) If you care to, and with a little creativity, you can attribute nearly all of the popular campaign issues to over-population. (I'm good at this! Give me a try!) I believe this is THE number one global issue of concern.
Who is talking about the related fact that, right now, we are in the midst of a Mass Extinction Event -- that as we continue to convert the available biomass into human flesh, it is at the expense of hundreds of species daily? No one.
[This is the link to a site called Species Alliance, and the trailer for a movie currently in production which explains the gravity of this problem.
http://www.speciesalliance.org/video.php ]
Who is acknowledging the affects that our unchecked population growth is having on the use of available resources and on the environment? No one.
Certainly no one on the campaign trail, but I don't even hear about the issue from anywhere else. It doesn't quite match up to Governor Corzine's proposal to increase Parkway tolls in terms of "media cutting power".
Well, of course, it is our divine privilege and indeed, our God-granted responsibility to continue to create human souls for His benefit and pleasure. He told us to subdue the creatures and go forth and multiply. Who are we to argue? The rest of the biosphere is just a source of fuel for us to propel the expansion of the blood-washed throng! What a mighty chorus we will make, when He comes, trumpets a-blowin', to take us home to Glory!
Since very early on -- 700 million years ago when the first multi-cellular organisms made the scene -- evolution has been working to preserve life by the employing the seemingly ingenious tactic of biodiversity. Diversify, diversify, diversify -- we here this and recite it as a mantra with regards to our stock portfolios. We marvel (in the form of lip-service) at the amazing biodiversity that we get to experience. We even give The Almighty credit and praise for this astounding feat of creativity! All the while failing to realize (by grasping some simple, fundamental ecological facts) that we are working feverishly, night and day to reverse this process and turn as much of Life into one species as we can.
We are in no way powerful enough to snuff out life on the planet -- that will happen long after we're gone -- but we are proving daily that our actions are rendering the biosphere uninhabitable for mid-to-large sized, complex organisms... of which we are one.
But let's not talk about this. It might make people upset. They might get desperate. They may become alarmed. They may begin to lose their faith and love for their country -- their faith in humankind. They may begin to lose faith in the system. Anyway, it's depressing. And any Christian's life will testify that a happy delusion is much preferred to a shocking reality.
To my way of thinking, and in light of a matter so serious as this, where is the relevance of the prevalent campaign issues? Fix the healthcare system, or not. Pull us out of Iraq or not. Crime, drug abuse, global warming, petroleum... these are all symptoms of the population issue, which we fail to look at logically, year after year.
[This slide-show does a great job of presenting the connection between population and food production. http://www.panearth.org/panearth/world%20food%20&%20human%20population%20growth/player.html ]
Well, I fear all that I've done here is justify my political apathy, and provide a wall through which political issues are too flimsy to crash through.
And I'm sorry... I believe all I've left for you to do is to say something like, "Uh... okay... so... try and keep your chin up, eh?"
I wrote a Sonnet a little while ago that sums my "dismal" view... it's dark (and I think you might hate it!) but I'm rather fond of it.
Diamond Through A Crack
To think of it is most disheartening;
Our current drift secures an early end
Such minor adjustments to our thinking
Would buy much time if only we would bend
But even if we change misguided ways
And let our best intelligence dictate
We only would add to our length of days
Not in the least affect our final fate
For all our valiant efforts, all our toil
All things that give our hearts much pure delight
Shall surely fade and seep into the soil
Forever silent; ever out of sight
And even if by chance we do design
Some everlasting token of our kind
Indelible report; enduring sign
To clearly sum the noble, human mind
We’re here in this obscure corner of space
And even if, as thought, we’re not alone
Will sentient beings ever find this place?
Or care to learn about the dead unknown?
A child once had his mother’s diamond ring
The one beloved piece she ever owned
After a while grew tired of the thing
Dropped through a crack, and never to be found
There is a tiny part of me that wants to see what happens if Guilliani wins---after all, he succeeded in turning all of Times Square into Walt Disney World II.
I kid. Actually, that terrifies me.
And hey---Kevin---can you link this blog to your facebook if you did not already? Would make it easier to "click" on you.
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