One of the 23%

I’m a proud member of the 23% who came out during Indiana’s Republican primary to vote against John McCain.

One would think that the presumptive nominee of the Republican party would receive close to 100% of the votes cast in the primary, but such was not to be. The pattern was not unique to Indiana either – in North Carolina there were 26% percent who voted for someone else in the Republican primary, according to USA Today. Likewise, in Pennsylvania before them, there were 27% who went out of their way to vote for someone other than the Republican’s favorite son, John McCain.

McCain should be worried that many of these voters were not just horsing around but are seriously considering not voting for him in the general election. Most would simply stay home rather than defect to the Democrats or pull the lever for McCain.

John McCain simply does not share my values enough for me to vote for him. He is not a conservative on a number of fronts, and there are those like me in huge numbers who simply don’t want him to be President.

Turning Nun Away Shows Indiana Law Works

By now you've probably heard the story about how the 98 year-old nun was turned away from the polls on Tuesday in Indiana. What you haven't heard mentioned is how that this incident proves that the law in Indiana works and that our democracy is preserved.

When the Voter ID law was challenged by the ACLU and others, we were told how that the poor and elderly would be harmed by the law and disenfranchised. On the surface, Tuesday's nun incident would appear to confirm their worst fears. Here, a poor, old woman was denied her right to vote because she didn't have a federally issued ID card. Shame on Indiana, right?

Wrong. What they don't emphasize is the fact that this law was well publicized and all precincts noted that ID would be required. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles was open on Tuesday, and was even issuing "free" ID cards to those who provided the documentation. This nun could have met the requirements, but did not. The fact that she did not drive, and thus didn't have a driver's license is a personal choice. The fact that the sisters chose to ignore the law is again, a personal choice.

The law worked exactly as it should and the integrity of the vote was preserved. We should not be goaded into having sympathy for this woman simply because she is old, poor or a nun. The requirements to comply with the law were not over-burdensome. The failure to comply was a personal choice, as there was no legal or spiritual precept that would have precluded the nun from obtaining the proper ID.

We should be glad that our sacred vote is protected from fraud by Indiana's Voter ID law.

I Am A Confused Conservative

For a number of reasons, I am a confused conservative.

I am confused because the cultural that I was raised to believe in is gone - to be replaced by a feckless society that is only concerned about selfish gratification in the here and now. Our founding fathers didn't bled and die so that we can have the latest iPod.

I am confused because Christian leaders preach the Word of God one day and make politically expedient comments the next - making them irrelevant and ineffective. Either the principles and words of the Bible are true for all men at all times, or they aren't.

I am confused because the conservative media (ie. FoxNews and talk-radio) is full of personalities who "talk the talk" but don't "walk the walk". The are quick to point out their credentials in conservatism, yet jettison them in a heart-beat to support Republicanism.

I am confused because my President talks about "compassionate conservatism" while at the same time governs neither compassionately or conservatively.