Tuesday March 6, 2012 is Super Tuesday. It refers to the date when the greatest number of states hold primary elections to designate the allocation of delegates for the relevant party’s national convention.
I live in one of those states and I’m registered as an independent voter, although in the state of Tennessee you are not required to vote in the primary of your identified party allegiance.
On Tuesday I’ve decided to help the Republican party help chose a candidate. There are currently four candidates left on the ticket but honestly unless something drastic happens before Tuesday, this is a two candidate contest but here are my thoughts on some of the candidates.
I know there are a lot of Ron Paul supporters and they believe he and his message are being marginalized and I think they’re right but honestly if he wanted to truly make the difference he keeps going on about he would have abandoned the entire two party structure and run as a true independent. I think my libertarian friends faith in Mr. Paul as their champion is more than a little misguided. The most fundamental tenet of libertarianism is free will, the right of the individual to do as they please. With this in mind how can the libertarian champion run on campaign supporting curtailing individual’s reproductive and sexual rights?
Where to begin with Mr. Santorum, the obvious joke here would be nowhere that involves any sort of modern thinking on sexuality. There is currently a list of the 10 dumbest things that have been uttered by Rick Santorum and in an effort to be fair, I did some research just to make sure they weren’t being taken out of context and for the most part they’re not. What puzzles me about Santorum and his supporters is how much their moral agenda resembles the same Sharia Law that they purport to be afraid of.
This leaves us with the current front runner for the Republican party’s presidential nomination, Mitt Romney. Before Mitt started pandering to what is passing for the Republican faithful, I think he had a chance with moderates, independents and people on the fence about the current president. In another election cycle with the party removed from the blinding insanity that is likely to destroy them he would be a fantastic candidate, if they let him be himself. Well as close to being yourself as getting elected will allow.
I believe the Republican party is continuing to shoot itself in the foot by pandering to the margins with every passing day in this election cycle someone utters something that sends another potential voter scrambling for whatever the party is not. Hopefully both parties will continue to pander the margins leaving enough of us in the middle to have sensible conversations and make real progress.
once again another valentine’s day rolls around and marriage equality is still a big issue in a lot of places. put aside your flowers, candy, romantic gestures, and dinners, the feast of st. valentine’s is about sacrifice. more specifically it’s about being willing to give your life for something you believe in, which i suppose is the ultimate sacrifice.
the version of st. valentine that i grew up with, and is most useful for this narrative, is he was priest in early rome who was beaten, stoned and eventually beheaded for disobeying claudius ii’s edict forbidding christian couples from marrying. i’m going to let that sink in – beaten (with clubs), stoned and eventually (when the beating and the stoning didn’t kill him) beheaded for marrying couples the state refused to recognise.
interesting how a single word can affect the legitimacy of your love. christian. interracial. gay.
take a moment on this manufactured (greeting card/candy makers), co-opted (lupercalia) holy day and make a small sacrifice of your time (write some, encourage your political leadership to recognise marriage equality) or money (donate to an organisation that supports marriage equality), there are people already losing their lives in ways quite similar that early roman priest over a word.
In late 2000, I asked a former employer and friend, Joey Clarke to write me a letter of recommendation. What follows is what he wrote. 12 Years later it still brings a smile to my face and is one of my fondest memories of my now deceased friend.
To whom it may concern,
If Keifel Agostini was half as good as he thinks he is, he would be better than anybody. As it is, however, thank God that art requires few straight lines, as he can’t draw them.
As a colleague, he beggars description. “Loud”, and “boisterous” may give you some idea, but they fail to do him justice. Think Attilla the Hun (the aggression, not the strategy), Machiavelli (the arrogance, not the literacy), and Dr. Williams (the deafness, not the dignity). Throw in a touch of Idi Amin (the looks, not the power), and you’ve got the idea.
Assuming you’re running an abattoir or a rugby team, you can probably find a place for him. Keep chains on hand, and lock up your daughters.
