[Mr 5 0]

crazy horse:

Please stop apologizing, guy.

I'm actually flattered that you feel comfortable enough with those on this forum to post your real thoughts and convictions as well as your complaints. It's cool.

Let me respond your comment regarding pro-lifers who kill pro-choicers at abortion clinics. Obviously, that's totally indefensible regardless of motivation and those who commit such premeditated murders should be punished with life or possibly the death penalty - I don't care which.

That having been said - over one million babies are aborted - killed in the womb - every year in this country and if you accept the premise that the 'fetus' is a live person in the womb, then the knowledge that over a million of these helpless little human beings-in-the-making, with heartbeats and brainwaves and movement at only a few weeks old - then what is done at abortion clinics is outright legalized murder, often for profit and this, for obvious reasons, drives some people over the edge.

Abortion is a deeply divisive subject fraught with all kinds of moral and social implications and I would rather not try to debate it here as most people already have a position (pro or con) and won't change it no matter what argument is raised.
I simply wished to mention that your example of pro-life people killing pro-choice people was apt in a sense; if abortion is murder - how can you justify murdering an adult ? Illogical, as Mister Spock might say.

Of course, pro-abortion people often vigorously oppose the death penalty which is also a bit odd. A baby in the womb - as innocent as a human being will ever be - is O.K. to murder ('abort') but it's cruel and barbaric to execute some 35-year-old mass murderer who probably raped or tortured his victims? Makes no sense, I agree.
I also agree that PC and the liberal leftists have taken over a large part of our American culture, to our great loss. College classrooms have often become indoctrination centers for leftist political revisionism, turning out young minds full of mush for the most part, devoid of any real historical perspective and believing that America is somehow racist, evil and the cause of most of the worlds problems. Tragic.

Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts Marty and keep 'em coming. You're among friends here.


SilverPoet:

Thanks for your input on the thread...also appreciated.

A comment regarding the Electoral College system, established by the founding fathers and altered somewhat by the 12th Amendment.
I see it this way; if we had the direct popular vote you wish for our elections they would resemble the way they are in Europe; specifically Italy, France and Germany - just to name the worst examples.

What happens is this: You have dozens of different special interests competing for the vote - enviromentalists, anti-abortion and pro-abortion groups, racial minorities, women's groups, big business, farmers, etc. It's an endless list. These groups then form individual political parties and run candidates for President, much as the fringe parties do now (with no success). The difference is - that in order for a responsible candidate to have a chance to win in this system, he has to accomodate a majority of these groups to win a plurality of the votes cast, as is done in Europe. He/she is forced to form a coalition government with all the minor parties having a seat in his administration and competing for attention. It doesn't work well at all. In fact, it stinks.

The founding fathers knew what they were doing when they modified the original Electoral College concept following the election of 1800.

If we really wanted direct representation, why not abolish the House and Senate? Why should Alaska have two Senators, same as California, with a fraction of the population? Why? Balance and stability.

The Electoral College assures a stable federal government, not a mish-mash of competing parties all attempting to change whatever they don't like and causing endless elections due to the fact that no candidate can ever draw together enough votes to sustain a majority and coalition governments can't govern when there are 50 different competing voices attempting to get their 'issue' attended to - all at the same time.

Our system of government and elections (a representative democracy) has worked very well for over two-hundred years and the fact that we have one of the most stable governments on the planet for this long - with a diverse population and free elections - is a positive testament to the effectivness of the EC.

I look at the 2000 Presidential election as an anomaly in our long history of elections and one that only came about due to the very small percentage of votes split between the candidates.
It probably won't happen again for a very long time - if ever.
I believe Bush actually won and I wish the entire state of Florida could have been recounted to 'prove' it but I fear that no amount of recounts would have satisifed everyone.
The only 'magic' the Republicans 'worked' was that the matter of recounts went to the Supreme Court - with more liberals than conservatives on it - and they ruled that if the recounts were not complete (Gore's people wanted to count some counties and not others) then the vote counting was over and what was already counted and recounted - in selected counties - stood as the final vote. In that counting, Bush won by a tiny margin.
Later, a syndicate of liberal newspapers (including USA TODAY) got together and basically paid to have all the votes recounted...and Bush still won. This was without even counting the military ballots thrown out, probably illegally. Of course, this was buried on page 106 of most papers, because they had hoped the paid-for recount would show Gore won and they could trumpet that Bush was an 'illegimate' President. He isn't. He won fairly. Close, but a fair win.

I'm more than glad to have George W. Bush as our President, as is most of the nation (his approval rating is in the mid 80's - unbelieveably high). He's a whole lot smarter than the liberal media and his political enemies want you to believe he is and he proves it every week, although liberals will never admit it.

President Bush's actions since September 11th have demonstrated extraordinary leadership. You may not like all of his political positions or even be a Republican but anyone who judges fairly can see that the man is honest, caring and sincere with a top-notch team behind him and is doing the best he can - on many fronts - for America, not just the Republican party.

Reports of his ignorance were, indeed, greatly exaggerated.