And away we go

As of September 11th, I am glad to have him

George W. Bush, the son of a one term President. The man with a challenge. To prove he is worthy of the Presidency. He has a long road ahead. I believe he is up to the task. The road would have been a much easier one had it not been for Florida, or an antiquated voting procedure over all. Would Bush be in the Oval Office then? I think so. I would hope so. This administration and the party it comes from is a very two sided coin. Lets look at that.

On one side would be the reasons I would have voted for him, and on the other the reasons not. The issues I tie hand to hand are abortion and gun control. Both are constitutional civil rights. Both are in the hands of our government and may be lost to us. Which brings me to why I didn't vote at all. The issues are mixed. One right taken one given. You can talk to nearly anyone on these two issues separately. Does a woman have a right to choose? No. Do you believe a person should be allowed to own a gun for personal safety? Yes. As I was driving to work I noticed a car with distinctive bumper stickers "Support the NRA" and "Choose Life". George is no different. And that surprises me. You can see for yourself what the stances on the issues are here. I look at it this way, you can not take the right away from one person and retain the right of another. I personally want to be able to protect my home. On the other issue I am a man and believe that I do not have a say. I have seen men at the local Planned Parenthood Clinic and want to ask them to go home. It isn't our issue. It really is not. It is a very personal issue and should be considered as such. George is going in the right direction with the gun issue. The abortion issue, well he is following doctrine and valuing life. I can totally agree with that. I have covered this before but what really brings the issue to a head is partial-birth. The President-elect is against it. As anybody should be. The following is an excerpt from a debate:

GORE (to Bush): On the issue of partial-birth or so-called late-term abortion, I would sign a law banning that procedure, provided that doctors have the ability to save a women’s life or to act if her health is severely at risk. [But] the main issue is whether or not the Roe v. Wade decision is going to be overturned. I support a woman’s right to choose; my opponent does not.

BUSH: I know we need to ban partial-birth abortions. This is a place where my opponent & I have strong disagreements. I believe banning partial-birth abortion would be a positive step toward reducing the number of abortions in America. This is an issue that’s going to require a new attitude. We've been battling over abortion for a long period of time. Surely this nation can come together to promote the value of life.

GORE: He trusts the government to order a woman to do what he thinks she ought to do. I trust women to make the decisions that affect their lives, their destinies and their bodies.

Source: (X-ref Gore) Presidential debate, Boston MA Oct 3, 2000

Both opinions make sense on the issue. It also, in Bush's opinion is a moral issue. Which is why people strongly oppose abortion but are passé on the gun issue. It is moral. I find it interesting that Bush supports the death penalty. He is a moral man. You can see it. He supports life but on the other hand believes in the ages old adage "an eye for an eye". A moral ground. A good start. Do I trust him? Not fully. Dick Cheney I may never trust. I see Cheney as one of these people that when asked he isn't going to tell you what he really believes but what he thinks you want to hear. On issues he is totally up in the air. He really doesn't get the gun issue. He has voted to weaken gun laws then changed his mind in favor of stricter ones. How he has voted in congress doesn't look good. It would have been better for Bush if he would have sought out somebody more planted in their beliefs. If anything the next four years will be interesting. Bush has brought together a cabinet that is diverse. Not all have the same opinion as the President Elect on the issues, and this is good. I have said before that I didn't care for either Gore or Bush, but sincerely believe we are better off than with Gore.

01/26/01

hmmmmm seems I was on to something. Especially that "eye for an eye" thing. How soon he got to test that moral.

10/11/01