The decision of the Supreme Court stated “our hearts can fully comprehend the grief so fully demonstrated by Theresa’s family members on this record”, and then went on to vote unanimously to strike down the law that allowed her feeding tube to be reinserted after her husband had it removed last year. Seems to me that their hearts couldn’t comprehend the grief at all.

Terri Schiavo, 40, suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped due to an eating problem. Although she can breathe on her own, she needs a feeding tube to survive. Her husband argues that she would not have wished to be kept alive in this way and wants the tube to be removed and that she be allowed to die.

Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, rejected the proposal and alleged that their daughter might recover her faculties.

Here’s what’s odd to me… If her husband wants to be rid of her so badly, why not just remove himself as her guardian? He had plans to remarry, yet he wants control of this situation.

A bioethesist who has represented the Catholic Church offered this point of view:

“Might it not be the case, in fact, that some would prefer to see her dead?” he asked.

“King Solomon knew who the real mother of the child was when he saw that one of the women accepted his being cut in half, while the mother cried out that she preferred that he be given alive to the other woman,” Father Miranda added.

“Terri’s husband pursues obsessively his wife’s death (alleging, naturally, that he does so out of compassion for her). Terry’s parents are fighting to save her life. If only our judges would learn something of the wisdom of Solomon,” he concluded.

I think we can all agree that this is the most contentious election in recent history, but, in addition, I think it might also be the most important one, too. So I was thinking this morning that it would be nice to have quick access to candidate information and their opinions on various issues. After scouring the web, I’ve located some good resources that I think would be helpful for all voters to have. Keep in mind that some of these, while still representing “facts”, can certainly be written with a personal bias. You’ll just have to parse that out yourself.

First Choice 2004 by Public Agenda

This is the most comprehensive “guide” I’ve found. Instead of just presenting the positions, it walks you through the process of trying to determine your position and then helping you figure out who most closely matches your thoughts. The site says “First Choice 2004 is designed to help you make the most of your vote by having strong, informed opinions about what those choices might be. With these guides, you can find out more about the problems facing the nation and be better armed when considering the plans politicians put forward.”

CNN Candidate Comparison

This is a fairly nice effort at compiling and presenting the information in a candidate- or comparison-view. The “positions” presented are basically one-liners. I’d like to have the ability to delve deeper into specific topics.

NPR: The Candidates on the Issues

This is a fairly nice composite of a wide range of issues. Each issue (Abortion, Immigration, Iraq, etc.) contains a brief synopsis of their views with audio links to relevant stories. It’s a good place to start, though I have noticed some interesting shading of the information.

WHIO.TV Candidate Comparison

While this compilation covers some of the same topics, most of the entries have been provided by the candidates themselves, mostly, it appears, from various position papers. The problem? Their views consist mainly of rhetoric and are nearly impossible to interpret in the form of “If I’m elected, I’ll…” Not real helpful, but a decent place to start.

PriceGrabber Election Comparison

In a clever twist on their stated role as the primary location for comparison shopping, PriceGrabber provides a very brief view of the candidates.

A Proposed Math Quiz for Candidates

Okay, this has nothing to do with their positions on various issues, but it’s a must-read. For them, and for you.

I came home from work the other night and found a picture on the kitchen table that Lily had drawn. She had been at pre-school in the morning and I thought she had drawn it there. After looking at the picture, I was a little concerned…

The image was of a small girl, her face contorted in obvious distress, her little round mouth turned noticeably downward. Now, keep in mind, most of the pictures they draw in pre-school are smiles, flowers, etc. So I got to wondering what could have possibly happened at school to warrant this picture. I found Lily sitting reading a book with Char. I interrupted…

“Lily, honey,” I began, treading lightly, “did you draw this picture at school today?”

“No, I drew it here with Mommy.”

Now, I felt a little better about this, but I have to admit, my curiosity is piqued. “Why is she frowning?”

“That’s Charmaine when she was sick,” Lily said.

“Ah… I see.” Then I noticed that the back was covered in multi-color lines running willy nilly all over the page, no apparent rhyme or reason. I was about to ask when Lily said…

“And on the back is after she threw up!”

Even the most apolitical among us is aware that we are in the midst of one of the most polarizing election cycles in our country’s history. Whichever candidate has your vote, one thing is clear: now, more than ever, every vote counts.

It’s the nature of democracy that each individual has a voice and a right to be heard. Voting is how we exercise that right. It is, perhaps, our most cherished right, our most vital responsibility as citizens. And though most of us would agree, the majority find themselves too busy chauffeuring their kids or picking up the dry cleaning to make it to the polls. Just how apathetic are we? The election of 1992 garnered the highest number of voters in election history, and only 55% of those eligible bothered to show up. Judging by the buzz surrounding the current contest, I think you can expect that record to be broken, but it will still be a dismal display of democracy in action.

Compared with the rest of the world, America often demonstrates a lesser desire to exercise our voting rights. The site for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance shows voter turnout percentages in countries across the globe, in all national elections from 1946 to the present. A quick glance will show you that America (arguably the cradle of democracy) consistently lags behind most of the world in voter turnout.

Over the years, several ideas have been promoted to address this concern. MTV launched a dramatic campaign called “Rock the Vote” in 1990 that certainly helped boost turnout among younger voters. The campaign continues, and the web site works hard at disseminating credible information without coloring it with opinion. The site helps visitors register to vote and provides detailed information (heavily skewed from a “youthful” perspective) on topics ranging from the economy, healthcare, defense, etc. It’s a great resource for young Americans.

A slightly different perspective, with many of the same tools, can be found on the PBS site, “Why Vote?” Indeed, though the site teems with information important to young and aged voters alike, it has a decidedly more serious approach. Famous speeches and essays throughout history serve as the argument for the democratic right to vote and your responsibility to exercise it. Perhaps most importantly, the site provides links to other resources to help all voters make better informed decisions in this important and contentious election.

The most important of these resources is Project Vote Smart, a site dedicated to inform the electorate. The idea is to provide each candidate for either national or state-wide election a National Political Awareness Test (NPAT) to assess the positions they would take on various issues if elected. Unfortunately, about 30% of the US Congressional candidates and 80% of state legislative candidates in Indiana refused to complete the form, thereby diluting the value of the site by deliberately masking their positions. This site represents a great concept, however, and it’s one that I hope will see more candidate support in the future. After all, it’s up to each of us to become informed voters, and sites like these can help make that process easier. Which, in turn, could help increase voter turnout.

In each of the 4 years that I have been a member of the state Assembly, we have had many “celebrations” on the Assembly floor. These “celebrations” are orchestrated by the Democrats who control the House and often involve singing and dancing. Every one of my 4 years have seen substantial celebrations of Cinco de Mayo (Commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla), St. Patrick’s Day (for the patron Saint of Ireland) and Chinese New Year’s Day, among others. But never once have we celebrated America’s Independence Day, the 4th of July.

So, this year, Republican Assemblyman Jay LaSuer of San Diego arranged for Vietnam war hero Admiral Jeremiah Denton to come to California to be a part of a 4th of July ceremony. As you may know, Admiral Denton was a Navy pilot in Vietnam who was shot down and spent 8 years in a Vietnamese prison. In 1966 while in prison, he was interviewed by North Vietnamese television in Hanoi after torture to get him to “respond properly.” During this interview, he blinked his eyes in Morse code to spell out the word “torture.” He was asked about his support for the war in Vietnam to which he replied “I don’t know what is happening now in Vietnam, because the only news sources I have are Vietnamese. But whatever the position of my government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it as long as I live.” Four of his 8 years in prison were spent in solitary confinement. He later wrote the book “When Hell was in Session” chronicling his experience in Vietnam.

When he stepped off the plane after being released from prison in 1973, he said “We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our country in difficult circumstances. We are profoundly grateful to our Commander-in-Chief for this day. God bless America.” He was later elected to the U.S. Senate from his home state of Alabama, becoming the first retired Admiral ever elected to that body. I could go on and on about his accomplishments.

Suffice it to say, Jeremiah Denton is unquestionably an American hero.

The Democratic leadership refused to allow him on the Assembly floor and there will be no 4th of July celebration. A memo from the Democratic speaker’s office said “problems have arisen both with regards to the spirit, content and participation of various individuals with regard to the ceremony.” Apparently, they said that he did not believe in the “separation of church and state” and they didn’t like the policies he supported as a United States Senator and therefore they would not allow him to be on the Assembly floor or to speak.

Upon hearing about this, Governor Schwarzenegger offered his meeting room last Monday for a ceremony with Admiral Denton. The room was overflowing with people. Only one elected Democrat was in attendance. A number of veterans of the last 4 wars were present. Admiral Denton gave a very moving speech about the 4th of July and about the undeniable commitment of our founding fathers’ to their faith in God. He talked about how the war on terrorism may be the most difficult war we have yet fought. And he went on to say that he fears that partisan attacks on our mission and our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan sound too familiar to what he experienced in Vietnam. Following his speech, The Governor came out to personally spend time with him.

Then this American hero, whose debt from us all can never be repaid, flew home to Alabama.

The Assembly did meet on that day. And we did have a ceremony that lasted nearly 20 minutes. That ceremony was to celebrate the career of a reporter from the LA Times on the occasion of his retirement. Democrats universally praised him as being “balanced.” He was allowed to speak for about 10 minutes. Admiral Denton was no longer in the building.

Four years of Cinco De Mayo and not one recognition of the 4th of July. An LA Times reporter praised, and the very person whose sacrifice allows him to express his opinion is banned. It is perverse. It is wrong. And it is disrespectful to all the men and women in uniform who have stared death in the face and to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the American people.

Admiral Jeremiah Denton is a hero not because he was politician, but like all the other men and women of the Armed Forces, because he defended the ideals set forth with America’s independence.

Democrats are always railing about intolerance and discrimination. But yet in practice, it is they who engage in regular state-sanctioned discrimination and who are intolerant of the presentation of other views. Maybe they are worried that people will listen.

I do not send you this to bash Democrats. I send you this to demonstrate the huge chasm that exists between registered, voting Democrats, and elected Democrat leadership. I hope those of you who are not Democrats, will send this to your friends who are. If you are a Democrat, don’t be ashamed. Be angry. Change your party and your leadership, or leave it.

Fortunately, we do not need the approval of the Speaker of the Assembly to celebrate our nation’s independence this Sunday. Nor do we need his permission to thank those who fought to give us and to maintain our freedoms. On this 4th of July, as the burgers cook and the fireworks fly, let us remember . . . and give thanks.

As a final offering, I give you a poem that Admiral Denton read to us this week, through eyes clouded with tears:

It is the soldier, not the reporter,

Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet,

Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,

Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier,

Who salutes the flag,

Who serves beneath the flag,

And whose coffin is draped by the flag,

Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Amen. God bless America.