Life and such

So the whole politics thing is really starting to rile me into thinking of finding another country in which to win. If Evangelical Christians start winning too many powerful seats, then the USA is going to be a has-been nation for me. The thought that all these wackos will have control of this country is profoundly disturbing. Four years ago, I saw them as some kind of political ally, but now I see them as one of the most dangerous groups in the country today. These are people who intend to destroy the fundamental separation of church and state that is essential to maintaining freedom in this country. Unlike other countries in Europe where religion is not terribly important (save several), the US is in serious danger of becoming a hive of Evangelical Christians who intend to force their religion on everyone. If they are successful, I see the US becoming something like Italy, where the pope is a part of national politics. Instead, preachers who take the bible literally, creationists, defamers of science, and the whole lot of them will break this country.

That is why I have to ardently oppose the idea of a social conservative. It's not that I am opposed to things like ending most abortions (it's entirely unethical to force a woman not to have an abortion if the baby's killing her. It's one of those things where the woman has to decide if she wants to sacrifice her life or sacrifice the baby's, and she has to stick with it. I'm in no position to force a woman to die), however, I am in favor of permitting gays to have public relationships and the opportunity to equal rights as married heterosexuals, whether in civil unions or marriage, I'm apathetic about the death penalty, and opposed to ideas such as "abstinence-only sex education", creationism, and all the other superstitious notions out there that social conservativism holds.

Socially, I'm generally apathetic, recognizing the value of equal rights. I consider myself an ardent fiscal conservative though. A nine trillion dollar debt is intolerable for this nation and its peopel to bear much longer. It's the most important issue to me: can the economy be maintained and the national budget balanced?

Considering these factors, I have to eliminate the extremes. On the Republican side, I must whole-heartedly oppose the candidacies of Thompson and Huckabee. If one of these two is able to run the country, I have no idea the kind of damage they can do. Huckabee's ignorance on foreign policy is profoundly disturbing too. I don't know if anyone caught this, but after Bhutto's assassination in Pakistan, Huckabee thought that it demonstrates why we need to crack-down on illegal immigration (WHAT????). Pakistani immigrants (especially illegal ones) are at like 50 a year.

On the liberal side, I find myself distrustful of all three. Edwards is FOS, in my opinion. The drivel that spews from his mouth is frankly disgusting to my interests, and I find that he'll likely not last to the convention, as he promises. Although I have no problem with a woman running the country (remember, my ideal candidate has pretty much always been Condoleeza Rice--amazing intelligence and capability, foreign policy that can whoop anyone else's ass), Hillary is not the one to be the first. She has first too many enemies, and secondly, there is this strong distrust I have of her. Like she has this big secret she's hiding.

Obama I think I may liek hte least of the Democrats because he relies on rhetoric and charm before experience. Experience is his weakness, one the Republicans can shred, especially of a veteran like Giuliani or McCain runs against him. One term as a national senator is not enough experience to make a president. I have strong reservations if Obama can control the staff and influence Congress enough to make a difference.

So that leaves moderate Republicans. Mitt Romney I also don't trust. He's spent too much money already, which makes him a clear New Englander. Recall that there's never been a decent preseident from New England, with respectful reservations for Calvin Coolidge. He also looks like one of the husbands off of Desperate Housewives. There's something not right about the man.

I'm basically then torn between McCain and Giuliani. I think Giuliani has been trying to redepict himself too much, so it makes me suspicious that he's too interested in playing the party base. McCain though has had nothing to lie about, nad based on everything I've heard, he's not interested in reinventing his image. Between the two, I would tilt towards McCain.

Worst case scenario Obama or Clinton vs. Huckabee.

By the way, Ron Paul doesn't count. That whole racism issue throws him out immediately. I don't tolerate it.

The rest of my life is strangely normal. I started collecting books for my thesis, which is good. Today I plan on finally getting my hair cut (it's a good 6 inches long now), shaving, buying some school supplies, Chipotle, and ultimately, going to work.

This weekend is crackdown time. Thesis research gets underway.