Fighting for social justice, the credo of The Naples Institute, is ingrained in my very soul. You can't stay completely out of the political fray if you really care about making the world a more just place.
I have been nominated for a fellowship with a prestigious international organization. One of the conditions of acceptance is that I will be forced to stifle my political views. I have agreed to live by that, but they haven't chosen me yet. This may be my last chance to weigh in on the 2008 election!
Collier County, home of Naples, has 100,000 registered Republicans, 50,000 Democrats, and 50,000 Independents. Suffice it to say, I have quite a number of friends who are going to vote for McBush this year. As Mom always says, "What are ya gonna do?" I'm certainly not going to let it get me down.
I'm voting for Obama because I think he will do better for our economy and national defense - for one thing, he is dedicated on finding Osama Bin Laden and fixing the mess we've allowed to fester in Afghanistan. Bush has had long enough, so I'm not going to support his crony.
The following is an email exchange with a dear friend here in Naples.
The Friend passed this along:
Who Am I? Guess who. I am under 45 years old, I love the outdoors,I hunt,I am a Republican reformer,I have taken on the Republican Party establishment,I have many children, I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor's office. Did you guess? I am Teddy Roosevelt in 1900.
My reply:
_____, come now! TR was one of the best presidents we've ever had, a charismatic leader. He was an outcast from his own party because he was a progressive who wanted to advance human rights and fight big business's Robber Barons and trusts (monopolies), not the opposite. New York was one of the most populous states in the Union; Alaska only has 700,000 people.
By contrast, Sarah Palin is the worst VP pick since Dan Quayle. Here are a few of her faults:
* She is anti-woman's rights and anti-environment.
* Among her anti-woman's rights acts was selecting a police chief for her town who charged rape victims for their rape kits. The state of Alaska had to pass a law against that specifically because of Sarah Palin's town.
* Her lack of experience means that McCain can no longer use his best weapon against Obama, which is Obama's lack of experience. (Thankfully!)
Sarah Palin repeatedly lies about her acts as governor. For instance:
* She claims she fired her chef, but all she did was reassign her. That lady still works for the state of Alaska.
* She claims she is a reformer, but she hired a lobbyist who got her town of 6,500 people $27 million while she was mayor.
* She claims she sold the governor's plane on eBay, but the state actually sold it through a plane broker.
She is not only a liar; she is also corrupt.
* She charged her state $17,000 for lodging and a per diem for nights she spent in her own home while governor.
John McCain used to be a man to admire, despite his stand against a woman's right to choose. Bush and Rove broke his spirit in 2000. Now he employs many of the consultants who reported to Rove and helped orchestrate his defeat in the 2000 primary season against Bush. He has voted with Bush 95% of the time, but he claims to be a reformer. He is a third term for Bush, and nothing more.
I love ya to death, _____ - you're one of my best friends in Naples. But you've got to change the channel from FOX "News" to something a little less biased. Might I suggest the Daily Show and Colbert Report? They're biased, but at least they don't pretend to be "fair and balanced."
Go Obama!
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