Last week, I spent hours of time I really couldn't afford trying to understand a situation. A little boy, I'll call him Trayvon, but he could really be any boy, was walking around a development. This little boy was dressed like my boys like to dress, Gangsta! I know because I have listened to, "Mom, everybody dresses this way...it doesn't mean anything." I lecture, and then they dutifully pull up their too big pants until they are out of my sight. Pants which we have allowed because I have witnessed my little brother go through this stage...his freshman slacks get tighter through high school and the older he gets Now he sports a bow tie...but I digress. I get it...it is a stage. They will continue jailing their jeans until they get older and have their own style and more courage to be individual. This, too, will pass. But not for Trayvon. He will not get beyond this point because he was shot. There are plenty of witnesses who came forward to say that Trayvon is a good boy who would never hurt anyone and others who said that he is a trouble-maker. I will leave it up to the experts to make the decisions and pray that they are correct. Unfortunately, with all the press that the story has been given, it has become fodder for the nation. Our President, Barack Obama, made a comment regarding Trayvon being shot. A nice comment actually, where he called for the nation to pray. And I started to wonder....what is he up to?
From the little I know, and a blog article I read today, the security guard who actually shot Trayvon was told by law enforcement officers to ignore Trayvon and they would be along as quickly as they could. Said security guard pursued him against their orders and shot him. According to the blog article I read today, the biggest issue is the lack of following directions on the part of the security guard. But no one wants to talk about being responsible, so we will discuss whether President Obama is being racist, the American people are being racist, or why individual citizens should carry guns, which may in fact be, with the exception of Trayvons parents, the biggest issue. While we are looking at all of these things, we won't be looking at the Supreme Court deliberations going on in Washington right now...possibly the biggest deliberations since 1973 when Roe v. Wade was passed. Obama Magic...
I have have had to live through days like this quite a few times during this presidency. But the unthinkable...the HSS Mandate. Our president doing something that is illegal. Our president and I do not see eye to eye on many of the issues, however, I expect him to follow the law. In the past year, my eyes have been opened to things that politicians have done, both democratic and republican. I imagine I lean strongly to the side of naive with a healthy bit of disinterest thrown in. Things I have learned this year have forever pushed the disinterest out and I am horrified by how my country has let me down. Let me rephrase...how I have allowed my country to let me down, because I must take some blame. I am interested now.
So back to my endorsement...I wasn't interested in eating green...I was interested in eating free...specifically free pizza on Friday nights at our frat house where Rick was president and my best friends boyfriend was a brother. Eventually, I became a sister. I was charged with interviewing all the brothers prior to initiation and I did not. I was interested in the free beer, free pizza, and a fun place to hang out. I interviewed only as many brothers as I could find the time. I didn't have much time, as it turned out. At initiation, the sister in charge of Pledging questioned me...did you interview all the brother's. Did you interview Rick...the president of our fraternity. Uh, skinny guy, dark hair, sweater vest? OK, I made that up, but you know, I did learn how to say the Greek alphabet 3 times to a match and figure out where Marvin Monroe's room was...the invisible brother. But we weren't big on hazing and I was in. As you can see, my interest was not in inner workings of the fraternal system at Penn State. My interest was somewhat less...cerebral! But even then, I could see that Rick was a good man. A good catholic. I began following Rick's career through my involvement in our Fraternity. His first race...we tried to all support him. It is what we did...Regardless of positions we supported our brothers.
My excruciatingly long preface was about illustrating that most people do not walk a path for a long time. Our reasons for what we do change. It helps if you have a moral compass that doesn't change. Catholicism is a very steady moral compass. Since its inception by Jesus more than 2000 years ago, times have changed, but maddeningly sometimes, the Catholic church has not. The outside world makes advances, discoveries, and slowly, the church may update its positions. The core statements have remained unchanged. Using it for guidance will help you to be steady and fairly unswerving in your opinions. If elected, Rick will not make his Presidency about turning us all into Catholics or imposing his own personal values on everyone. Rick lives its tenants, including the ones about love your neighbor, not convert your neighbor. Catholics are charged with pointing out a brother's sin lest he is held responsible for it, but not with making him stop against his will. People who disagree with the Rick and the Catholic church can be certain that Rick will not try to take away their right to contracept or abort or any other right we are guaranteed in the constitution, like smoke or indulge in any destructive act, allow guns to be carried by security guards who don't follow orders, or take Pills the FDA has labeled a Class 1 Carcinogen...He will be too busy ensuring that your rights are not eroded by politicians who are more easily swayed by the big dollar lobbyists in the FDA, Big Pharma, and AgriFood. Rick is the only candidate I have seen who has a long record of following the rules...upholding our constitution. Take a look at the issues. They are much more clearly and intelligently stated than I could say it. But look. And look how long he has been fighting for our rights. Then compare him with this, a president who says he is going to give you what you want, regardless of the constitutionality of what he wants to do. A president who told a representative from another country on television to "give him some room while his re-election is on", and then he can do what he wants. I still don't know exactly what Obama's angle is with Trayvon...I don't even care to guess what he means after election is over. His promises to Planned Parenthood. His promises to women.
I do not believe in abortion and I vote against it and sometimes hold signs. I think it is a life that is being destroyed and therefore not subject to death at the whim of its mother. If that changes in the future, it should be because of me and others like me. If we can make the issue popular enough that the court would be willing to hear the issue again and rule, well, thank-you God. But our President can not arbitrarily decide that it is or is not good for women. I choose not to use hormonal contraception either, but it is a right given to women in the constitution. And our government has just labeled it a carcinogen on the same level as tobacco. Will Obama be changing his mind on these and some other issues when the election is over and he has more leeway? Are you really willing to risk it?
The only thing Rick Santorum is promising you is that he will uphold the constitution of the United States and your right to live as you see fit. The only real intelligent choice is one we are ensured of before hand.
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