sheba's blog

do i care?

 abuse

As usual for elections in this country, we are being subjected to a barrage of innuendo, rumor, gossip and unmitigated slurs about the candidates. Some may be true, some are demonstrably false, and some are debatable. I don’t plan to vote on the basis of rumor and gossip. I plan to vote on the basis of issues that I believe are important to the people of this country.

For the record:

I don’t want to hear disgraceful and ridiculous slurs such as that Obama is a radical Muslim, that he may be the antichrist, or that McCain sold out his fellow prisoners of war or that he got special treatment from the North Vietnamese because of who his father was. People who repeat these should be ashamed of themselves.

I don’t care whether Obama wears a flag pin or holds his hand over his heart while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

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I don’t care whether McCain has a bad temper or uses profanity.

I don’t care what Senator Obama’s middle name is.

I don’t care what Cindy McCain does (or doesn’t do) for a living, or how much money she has.

I don’t care what Michelle Obama wrote in a college paper decades ago.

I don’t care whether McCain had an affair with his current wife while still married to his former wife.

I don’t care about McCain’s age or the fact that he is a cancer survivor.

I don’t care what church either candidate goes to or what minister has or has not supported or endorsed them.

I don’t care about any side issue that is brought in by any individual or group to smear either candidate (aka “swift-boating”).

Now, here are some things I do care about:

I care about getting our troops home safely from Iraq. I care about getting out with a minimum of bloodshed for both Americans and Iraqis.

I also care about the quality of benefits our veterans receive when they do come home. I think they should have access to VA loans for housing, the GI Bill for education and, above all, top quality medical care, including care for mental health issues.

I care about access to decent medical care for all Americans at a cost they can afford.

I care about what sort of people will be appointed as justices of the Supreme Court in the next 4-8 years.

I care a great deal more about tax relief for the middle class than for the wealthy.

I care how my tax money is spent, preferring that it go for medical care for poor people than farm subsidies for huge factory farms or other programs that benefit those who don’t need help.

I care about the way gasoline prices affect people who don’t have the option to cut their driving (e.g., they have to drive to work every day), and who can’t afford to buy a new Prius and may have to drive old, inefficient vehicles.

I care about the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink and the environment of the planet we live on. I care about whether my great grandchildren will know what a tiger looked like only from pictures in books.

I care about freedom of speech, freedom of and from religion, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press. I care about the right of habeas corpus. I care about the right of any person accused of a crime to a speedy trial and the right to confront his accusers.

Yeah, I’m a bleeding heart and proud to be called one. Better a bleeding heart than none at all.