A BIG Thanks to Becky and Amanda for finding my “deleted” blog on their bloglines and e-mailing it to me. I don’t understand how it could get to their bloglines while at the same time being deleted from the place the poster posted it- but oh well. The main thing, this loooong post was rescued. ‘Cuz I sure wasn’t doing it again!!
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So, I decided to look up each major candidate’s positions on items that positively add to society’s (very small) effort to protect its children. Here’s a sampling of verbiage I could find on their websites. I have added a few comments in red, below. Since this is my top issue in deciding on a potential presidential candidate, I have ranked each of them and their statements as follows:
(-) This candidate is obviously blinded by his/her political agenda and doesn’t really care if society lives by standards that will protect our children.
(so-so) A couple of statements are in the direction. A couple are not.
(+)This candidate is on the right track with this issue.
(-)Hillary Clinton
(so-so)Protecting children against violence and sexual content in the media and studying the impact of electronic media on children’s cognitive, social, and physical development. The first part of this is good- but what is there to study? Let’s take action on this! (-)Hillary has fought the relentless and insidious efforts by far-right Republicans to limit the protections of Roe v Wade, while also working hard to expand access to family planning services. Well, killing babies is certainly not protecting them.(-)Hillary has seen what happens when governments try to control a woman’s reproductive health decisions. Whether it was Romania under a dictatorship saying you had to have children for the good of the state or China saying you had to have only one child for the good of the state, governments have dictated the most private and important decisions that we as individuals or families can make. Unbelievable. I am about to become nauseated. Does this even make sense to you?
(-)John Edwards
(-)Protecting Women’s Right to Choose
The decision about whether to become a parent is one of the most important decisions that a woman can face. Edwards believes that she should make it with her family, her doctor and in the context of her religious and ethical values. He will protect and defend the right to choose and reverse the damage that has been done by President Bush’s anti-choice agenda. Again, this statement is unbelievable.
(so-so)Barack Obama (+) Promote responsible fatherhood. This is good- but this is literally all I saw on his website that addressed anything related to my concerns about society protecting our children.
(+)John McCain(+)Promoting adoption, protecting marriage(+)Protecting Children from Internet Pornography and online predators(+)John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench. Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat. Well, that’s progress at least.
(+)Mike Huckabee I’d like to hear more, though.
(+)I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned. Hooray!!(+)I support and have consistently supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
(+) Fred Thompson
double (+) Strong families are the bedrock of our nation and our culture. They are built around the sanctity of life and the institution of marriage, which is the union of a man and a woman. To counter coarseness in today’s culture that oftentimes victimizes our children and undermines the traditional values parents want to instill, we must not only protect but strengthen the institutions of family and marriage. I am committed to:
- Using the Presidency to encourage policies that promote a culture of life, strengthen the institution of marriage and traditional families, and advance freedom of religion.
- Returning authority to the levels of government closest to families and communities—the states—and then protecting states from further intrusion by the federal government, the judiciary, and other states.
- Combating the spread of obscenity over TV and other media by making sure parents can better exercise their responsibilities.
(+)Activist judges across the country seem intent on legislating from the bench to promote a culture of abortion, redefine marriage, and undermine families—in effect re-shaping the values of our entire society without the consent of the people. We need judges who recognize their role in our democracy is to interpret, not make, the law. I am committed to:
- Appointing strict constructionist judges who will interpret the law, not impose their views on us by legislating from the bench.
(+)Mitt Romney
(+)Promoting A Culture Of Life As President, Governor Romney will promote a culture of life. Governor Romney believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned so that the issue of abortion can be returned to the American people and their elected representatives at the state and federal level. Positive direction.(+)Traditional Marriage. Governor Romney supports a Federal Marriage Amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.(+)Appoint Conservative Justices Who Abide By The Constitution.(+)Software Filters To Guard Children From Online Pornography. Governor Romney will work with computer and software companies to make sure all new computers have optional parental control software filters that are ready and easy to use during setup. Governor Romney will also promote and increase awareness of available parental control filtering products for existing computers.(+)Enforce Our Nation’s Obscenity Laws. To protect our children, Governor Romney will require the Department of Justice to enforce our existing federal obscenity laws. Even though the interstate trafficking of obscenity is illegal, federal obscenity laws have not been adequately enforced.(+)Support And Strengthen Community And Faith-Based Volunteer Efforts.Strong families need strong communities to help support their efforts to keep children safe from dangerous outside influences. Organizations like United Way, Little League and faithbased groups can play an important role in the positive mental, physical, and spiritual development of a child’s life.
(+)Rudy Giuliani Really like his overtures towards the “faith community.” Would like more details, though.(+)He understands the responsibility of the President to appoint and nominate principled judges. Rudy has committed to appoint strict constructionist judges in the mold of Justices Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito—judges who respect the Constitution as it is written, rather than legislating from the bench. I am very happy about Rudy’s commitment. However, I think it also helps him dodge the issue he knows this is partially masking- and that is to confront the issue of Roe vs Wade needing to be overturned.(so-so)My belief in God and reliance on His guidance is at the core of who I am.” I notice that non-born again people always like to talk about God- but they avoid talking about their relationship with his Son, Jesus. Whatever, Rudy.(+)“I want to work with the community of faith to develop new ideas that can protect our shared vision: building a more civil society, restoring the social contract and promoting a culture of personal responsibility. In the process we’ll achieve our shared goals: protecting our children’s innocence, defending the expression of religious faith, strengthening parents’ rights and expanding school choice…“ I really like this statement. How will he work with the community of faith, though?(+)for all the statements following: *Rudy will appoint strict constructionist judges who won’t legislate from the bench. * Rudy believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, and he supports the Defense of Marriage Act. * Rudy supports parental notification and the ban on partial birth abortion. * Rudy will direct the Office of Faith-based Initiatives to find new ways to support organizations that promote adoption as an alternative to abortion. * Rudy will make the $10,000 adoption tax credit permanent. * Rudy will work to strengthen home school programs.
* Rudy will work to keep our children safe from internet pornography and online predators.
* Rudy will veto any attempt to weaken the Hyde Amendment and other limits on the public funding of abortions, like the Mexico City Policy. Hyde Amendment does not allow funding of abortions with Medicaid funds, except in extreme cases. Rudy is on the right track here.* Rudy will work with faith-based organizations.
So, what do you think?
What Romney lacks for me is that he is not authentic. He does not represent the American family values that he claims to. That is what bothers me…he is a fake.
Family leaders call Romney ‘disaster’
A coalition of leaders on family issues has released a letter warning about what they describe as the deception being assembled around former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
…the letter says. “But we are troubled by the unethical and Orwellian cover-up of Mitt Romney’s role in catastrophic events in Massachusetts, once the cradle of American liberty.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59509
On the life issue…i like Huckabee, Hunter and Thompson.