"Freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do."
No, that wasn't from one of those two guys down below, it was from "America's Mayor" Rudy Giulliani today.
This line reminded me of a great song by a woman who got her start playing on the streets of Harvard Square.
Why do the babies starve
There's enough food to feed the world
Why when there're so many of us
Are there people still alone
Why are the missiles called peace keepers
When they're aimed to kill
Why is a woman still not safe
When she's in her home
Love is hate
War is peace
No is yes
And we're all free
--Tracy Chapman, Why
The time, Tracy, is coming soon. Soon will will be rid of these power-hungry maniacs who will stop at nothing to become President.
"He's been a pro-life Mormon faking it as a pro-choice friendly," Romney adviser Mike Murphy told the National Review in 2006.
(H/T AmericaBlog)
I could go on about Romney's flip-flops on Immigration (the subject of his latest Iowa ad), but I think I will save my "breath."
When your top two leading candidates for President are a quasi-facist and an unprincipled liar, you have got a serious problem.
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3 comments:
Dave,
First, great job at the debate the other night.
Second, I love the Tracy Chapman lyric being quoted. (I think I own all her releases.)
But, third, the "unprincipled liar" jab at my man Romney really hurts. Is there any possibility that you could be seeing this guy through miscolored lenses?
The thing I love about the video clip of him going at it with the conservative radio host in Iowa is the clear passion, intensitiy, and conviction in his voice: Trust me, he sincerely believed his position was right. He is not a liar.
Your Friend,
A.W.
A.W. thanks. I believe that Romney did mean it when he was yelling at the right wing shock jock.
But all the other times he talks to real people and knows the camera is on, he tells them what they want to hear. In Massachusetts, he ran as a moderate Republican. Now, he is running as a conservative.
How can you trust someone who says one day he is pro-choice, and pro-life the next? Or for and against Stem Cell research? Or for and against "Amnesty"? Or gun control? Just because his family is high up on the LDS hierarchy doesn't mean you have to blindly follow this man who will say just about anything to get his hands on power.
Dave,
Like it or not, the reality is that all electable politicians somehow find a way to tell to enough people "what they want to hear." That was true of Jefferson, Jackson, FDR, Johnson, Clinton and everyone else in between. And, it does not mean that a candidate is necessarily lying. It just means that they are purposely focus on those positions they share, or claim to share, with a plurality of the voting public. Mitt is no more guilty of such cherry picking than any other successful politician -- whether on or off camera.
And, the fact is that he is a moderate Republican who also happens to be the most conservative of all the top contenders. Both of those characterizations are true!
As for abortion, I trust Mitt's explanation of why he switched from being "effectively pro-choice" to "pro-life." It makes perfect sense to me -- that is what is so convincing in the video with the guy from Iowa.
As for stem cell research, George Bush, Mitt Romney, and I all support it. What we oppose is the creation and subsequent destruction of human embryos for the purpose of such research. That is just too "Third Reich" for me. I find it morally indefensible.
As for guns, I hate them. I never want to ever shoot anyone, but I believe the Second Amendment is inspired and the supreme law of the land. I suspect Mitt's position is very similar to mine.
As for amnesty, my position toward illegal aliens is far more generous than that of the average grassroots Republican. And, yet, I too oppose a blind, open the floodgates, slap on the wrist approach to immigration. Again, I suspect Mitt's position is not too far from that of my own.
Granted, to the extremists on either the far left or far right, Mitt is going to seem wishy-washy or like that of a flip-flopper. But, he may actually be very much in line with the hearts and minds of the vast majority of American voters in the center. And, that is just where he should be.
I support Mitt Romney because I sincerely believe that he is the best candidate in the race, not just because his family has history with my Church. I know this is true, because there have been other well-connected Mormons whom I have not supported in their run for office. Please give me the benefit of the doubt, Dave.
Thanks, Bud,
A.W.
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