Well, you know what they say about opinions ;) I am always very hesitant to post about anything that is controversial, even though I believe that intelligent discussion is the only way to resolve differences and move ahead. I do not claim to be right, only that I have examined an issue from both sides, sometimes applied a specific life experience to it and formed a personal opinion. I hope that you respect mine as I respect yours. Emotions are, indeed, running high these days. I am about as non-partisan as one can get in that I have embraced pieces of the ideology of both parties and blended them into my own unique perspective which is decidedly tolerant and peaceful. As a child of Vietnam, I still see the scars left by that conflict on my generation. As a friend to many who suffered through illegal abortions when I was a teenager, I find myself pro-choice to this day, even as my daughter’s friends struggle with their own decisions decades later. I have learned as a faithful healthcare provider that the desire to hang on to a loved one often outweighs the wishes of the patient in a fashion that can be unusually cruel. My stance on capital punishment has never wavered in all of these years. Merely considering the number of released innocent death row inmates following DNA testing is proof enough to me that a the courts should not have the power to take a life. I have total disdain for the system of monetary handouts that has crippled an entire generation of people who depend on it for existence and abuse at the expense of the working class.

As much as we would like for moral and ethical issues to be black and white, they are, for the most part gray areas where agreement to disagree is necessary for growth and change and mediation of conflict. The tendency to habitually lay blame on someone or something when a crisis occurs is entirely different than demanding accountability. It seems that during the course of events this past week many people have suffered and died as a result of a lack of communication between officials at the local, state and federal levels. In the words of our president, this is “not acceptable”. Well said, Mr. President. You earned some respect from the Poopster with that one little phrase.

I’m done with this subject, and apologize for any toes that I may have stepped on. I think it may be time to turn this b**g back into the happy place that it once was where I make people laugh and grin and say hmmmm instead of pissing them off. Consider it done.

^j^