Witches and the Whitehouse - Go Howard Dean go!

Even if our NOT-President weren't every bit as bad as I thought he'd be, I wouldn't like him. He's smug, he's dumb, and he's dishonest. He's such a phony that you could almost hear the collective groan when he landed on that aircraft carrier. He's running this country like his buddy Kennyboy ran Enron - right into the ground. We've lost 3 million jobs since he took office. We went from the largest budget surplus in history to the largest debt... he has even surpassed Reagan's dismal figures. I could go on, but you get the idea.

My main objection is selfish, though. J.R. Ewing-with-a-lobotomy doesn't consider my religion a religion. Guess he missed that part in the First Amendment where it says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". Of course he's not congress. If he doesn't like what they do these days he just issues an "Executive Order" to go around Congress, around the Constitution. He can't be bothered with procedure. "God" gave him a mission and he'll do it no matter who has to die. He scares me. IF "GOD" TOLD HIM TO KILL OSAMA AND SADDAM*, as he has publically proclaimed, how do I know I'm not next?

I'm throwing my support Howard Dean's way for a few reasons. Now first, let me say that HD may not WANT me in his corner. I don't really know what his religious views are. Like it or not, he's got me and here's why. I like the way he looks at the issues. Civil Unions are not a moral issue to him - his decision to sign Vermont's Civil Unions bill was based on the concept of "equal protection under the law". He's not only Read the Constitution and all-l-l- the Amendments (that's all the way up in #14!) he actually seems to know what it means! In a culture where most of our elected representative think that the Bible is the literal word of "God" (Think hard about that, then try to sleep at night. No wonder I have a sleep disorder!) that's my idea of a miracle.

Many of Howard Dean's positions are like that. Marijuana? He thinks it should go through the same process that any drug does for FDA approval. He believes in balanced budgets, education, and alternative forms of energy. A woman's right to choose is best kept between the woman and her doctor. He believes we should all have health care - he'a a Dr., y'know, and he wants to take care of the least among us. He's got a plan for the environment that actually protects the environment. He isn't owned by any corporations, or oil companies, or even other Democrats. The party leaders are shitting bricks over Dean's success, because he isn't a "Washington Insider" with ties to all the same corporations as the rest of Congress on both sides of the aisle. (Note that a former leader in the Dem.'s was recently outed giving $2000 to Bush's campaign for 2004.)

Dean's success on the internet is a clear result of the best thing about him. He's open to new ideas, and his organization is flexible enough to make the most of new technologies like the internet. That is the one thing that has been lacking most in this country- a sense of embracing technology and using it to make us stronger, safer and more efficient. (Did you know FBI agents only recently got email? No wonder they weren't sharing information efficiently.) Like the Amber alert system, which scored another success this week in short-circuiting the kidnapping of a little girl. Why has it been such a fight to get it in place?

For that matter, why don't we have a national job registry? Why aren't all social service organizations available under one web site? We've had the internet for almost 2 decades and still no coherent approach to Copyrights. Why are the people in rural areas the last to have access to satellite technologies when we need them most? OK, I'm getting ahead of myself. At this point, a lot of us are voting on the ABC plan - Anyone But Cheney/Bush.

I had planned to go Green this time 'round. I still like what they represent. I still think the 2 party system is an aberration that the Founding Fathers never intended to develop. And I hate the fact that both parties take money from the same corporations. A Corporation can't vote, so why should it be allowed to contribute to political campaigns? And why isn't there a limit as to whom you can give contributions? You should only be able to contribute to one candidate, per election, per office. The bottom line, though, is W. has got to go.

I REALLY hope that Howard gets the Democratic nomination. I don't know if i could bring myself to vote for a Democrat that voted for this obscene war. If Kerry or Lieberman gets the ticket, Nader is going to be an awful temptation for me. These guys are old school, big money Republicrats. I just don't know if I can do it. Especially after all they all gathered on the steps of the Capitol shouting "under God" after the 9th District court finally stood up and said that it's UNCONSTITUTIONAL to have spiritual references in public doctrine.

Is it too much to ask for a candidate that will include me in his decisions? That will defend my right to the equal protection intended in our legal system? Can someone stop trying to save my soul long enough to govern?! As I said...

GO, HOWARD, GO!

*Note that he hasn't succeeded. S'pose Jesus is pissed?