I Am Still Undecided on the Candidates

I Am Still Undecided on the Candidates – by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at Care2 Election Blog)

I read an article today in The Washington Post, and it really got me thinking. Why am I still undecided on the presidential candidates? I know one thing, it’s not because I don’t know enough about them. So, why? I never really thought about why I am having so much trouble with this decision, until today. In the past I would have already come to some solid conclusions. I keep telling myself that I’m waiting for someone to say something that “seals the deal” for me, but I’m not even sure what that would be.

After reading the article by Meredith Chaiken, I began to give this issue a lot of thought. Even though I couldn’t relate to the specific reasons why Meredith was undecided, I was able to rule those reasons out for myself. And by the end of the article, I was pretty certain I knew my answer.

Basically, after the last seven years of George W. Bush, I have become very distrusting of politicians. Granted, I always had been to some degree, but it’s more than that now. Even though I didn’t vote for Bush, many others did, and they voted for him because he was “likable”…which is something I will never understand. Don’t get me wrong, I can see why people would think Bush is “likable”, I just can’t understand why anyone would use “likability” as a reason to vote for a president.

Looks are deceiving…And let’s face it, “likable” people might seem that way to your face, but not have any trouble turning around and stabbing you in the back. Don’t we all know someone like that? Words can be deceiving, and most of all – politicians can be very deceiving. This might sound crazy, but I’m actually to the point of wishing we had a debate where all the candidates are simultaneously hooked up to lie detectors. Because after Bush, the single most important thing to me in a president…is Trust. I might love every opinion a particular candidate has on the issues, but in the end if they are not being honest, none of those promises mean anything.

CHANGE is the new “buzz” word the politicians are throwing around. And yes…Change would be great. But what this country really needs is TRUST. Who can we trust?

Is Lethal Injection Cruel and Unusual Punishment?

Is Lethal Injection Cruel and Unusual Punishment? – by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at Care2 Election Blog)

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether the method of execution used in most states violates the Constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishment.”

From the Los Angeles Times…

Death penalty critics had hoped that the court would declare unconstitutional the use of a three-drug compound that has been the standard means of execution since the early 1980s. They say the use of a paralyzing drug could mask the fact that the condemned man may suffer searing pain when given a heart-stopping drug.

Let me begin by saying that I am not a proponent of the death penalty. However, I do believe that if you are going to have a “punishment” by death, the person being punished should NOT be granted a procedure that is not afforded to the most sick and dying of our own population.

From the Associated Press…

Justice Antonin Scalia said states have been careful to adopt procedures that do not seek to inflict pain and should not be barred from carrying out executions even if prison officials sometimes make mistakes in administering drugs. “There is no painless requirement” in the Constitution, Scalia said. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito also indicated their support for the states’ procedures.

This is what the death row inmates are asking for…

READ FULL POST AT Care2 Election Blog or The Political Voices of Women