Tag Archives: rights

The State Should Get Out of the Marriage Business

Oh dear. Bush apologist, McCain supporter, and former senator Rick Santorum has offered his addlepated opinion on the recent gay marriage ruling in California (Fedora Tip: 2 Political Junkies. He says:

“…The state Supreme Court there ruled, 4-3, that same-sex couples can marry. In doing so, four judges rejected a statute that passed in a referendum with 61 percent of the vote that defined marriage as a union of one man and one woman. It’s merely the latest in a string of court decisions that have overturned the overwhelming will of the people.”

As another blogger (a valedictorian law student no less) pointed out, sometimes the will of the people is in conflict with constitutional law. He says, “California’s Supreme Court did not override the will of the people; it simply looked at two different expressions of the people’s will and decided that the constitutional expression trumped the statutory expression, which is entirely proper.” I agree. If it is truly the will of the people of California to limit marriage to monogamous heterosexual couples, they’ll have to amend their state constitution.

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Faux News Advertising Ron Paul?

If I weren’t already a Ron Paul supporter, this article (at Faux News!) would likely have made me one. It reads like a greatest hits compilation of Dr. Paul’s policy ideas.

Foreign Policy, Recession-Proofing the U.S. Dominate GOP Debate in South Carolina

“The Republican candidates returned to their respective outposts on the campaign trail Friday, hours after appearing in a vigorous debate that focused on national security and America’s role in the world. The conversation began when the candidates evaluated the U.S. response during a recent incident in the Strait of Hormuz between a U.S. Navy ship and five Iranian speed boats. Five of the six candidates on stage at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in South Carolina applauded the commanding officers for responding with restraint when they did not fire on the speed boats even though a radio call claimed the U.S. ship was going to explode in minutes. Of the six candidates, only Ron Paul said he thought the incident was being blown out of proportion.

‘Let’s put it in perspective. We have five small speedboats attacking the U.S. Navy with a Destroyer? They could take care of those speedboats in about five seconds. And here we’re ready to start World War III over this? … You know there are people in this administration and in Washington, D.C., that are looking for the chance’ to bomb Iran, the 10-term Texas congressman said.”

Concerns about Huckabee

I at first found Mike Huckabee to be an interesting character, as a possible bright point in the dismal lineup of presidential candidates. Unfortunately, his character did not bear up well when I looked at him further, and I’m sorry to see that some bloggers like Rod Dreher still think he’s a viable politician or sign of a genuine movement. This post is to show evidence that Mr. Huckabee would be a poor president.

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Why I Support Ron Paul

I believe that a government founded on subsidiarity, in which matters are handled at the lowest competent level, gives citizens greater power to affect affairs at all levels. The US Constitution provides for a federal government with carefully limited powers, leaving the rest to the states, and Ron Paul has defended those provisions without wavering. The federal government’s powers have grown well beyond those provisions, resulting in unchecked spending, unpopular wars, and infringements of civil and human rights. My vote for Ron Paul will be a vote to cut government waste, stop preemptive “police actions”, defend the Bill of Rights, and return power to those whom governments are supposed to serve, their citizens.

On a personal note, I’ve grown increasingly sick of the stranglehold that the major parties have on the government and the resultant feeling that my interests aren’t represented regardless of who I vote for. I’m an “extreme moderate”, a purple-stater, with enough opinions on both ends of the political spectrum to irritate monochromatic members of either side. Since PA has closed primaries, I change parties as needed in the hope of affecting the outcome of elections that matter to me. Ron Paul isn’t strictly speaking an independent candidate, but he’s the closest I’ve seen any major-party member come to representing the best interests of common Americans without catering to special interests, toeing the party line, or flip-flopping in response to polls. He’s a consistent supporter of citizen’s rights and limited, responsible government. That’s why he has supporters from all over the spectrum, and it’s why he has my support. For the first time since registering to vote, I’m actually excited to support a candidate who has the potential to bring respectability and accountability back to the Washington.

Update:I’ve expanded this post, given it a permanent page, and recorded a video of me reading it.