Woke up, put on clothes, went to work.

Blog responses:

"Hi, Caren: Just want to tell someone in media that "moral" issues go across a broad spectrum for many of us. In your blog yesterday, you said:
"you can't pass judgment on someone until you've talked to him/her or walked in his/her shoes."

"Well, I am one who HAS walked in almost all of the shoes, from poverty to very close relationships with gays of both genders, to promiscuity to radicalism to Black Panthers to activism and living in the inner city to housing the mentally ill, and more. I know what it is like to have to go to the emergency clinic and wait all day, then to get hasty and unsanitary care. I know what racism is like, against me and my children. I still care about all the people involved in all these experiences, and my husband, myself and my children still give volunteer time and money to help the needy.

"BUT: What the liberal media and Hollywood still cannot understand is that Main Street America, which includes many poor and minorities (believe it or not) still believe in a family consisting of a father (faithful and effective, a leader and moral guide in the family), a mother (nurturing and all of the above), and (hopefully) children, with whom the parents stay for the rest of all of their lives. We do not like media nudity and foul mouths forced on our young children, nor do we like for them to be constantly tempted and taunted by irresponsible and meaningless sexual acts on TV, in magazines at the checkout counter at a child's height, etc.

"Most importantly, we can see through public personalities. We have had a long time to look at W and Laura and they pass inspection. Bush is known by friends and enemies alike as a warm, likeable and sincerely faithful guy. Hey, Bush never campaigned on a Sunday. He went to church. Kerry, who described himself as a deeply "faithful" Catholic, was never seen in his church or any anonymous Catholic church on Sundays. He was out early, campaigning, unless, of course, he was speaking in a Black evangelical church, praying that we "walk in the footsteps of the Lord". God is good. God is now _carrying_ that little wounded lamb in His footsteps. My heart goes out to Kerry. Kerry and Terry just didn't understand that a lot of us don't adulate intellect without sincerity of spirit. We love the ones who "walk their talk".

"And, yes, there is a commandment that supercedes all. I refer you to James Kushiner's essay in Touchstone Magazine, October, 2004: "First Things First". i cannot speak for all who voted for Bush, but I am a "Lifer" and, to me, that also means I am for gun control laws and against the death penalty. The War in Iraq is complicated, and I don't think that turning tail now is the best solution to terrorism and senseless wicked violence against humanity. Terrorism is the  biggest threat today, because we have no clear solutions. We DO have solutions to late-term abortions-on-demand.

"I think Abe Lincoln was right: You can't fool all of the people all of the time, even with George Souros, Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand, Dan Rather, Jay Leno, Jimmy Carter, and so on.

"Thank you for the hearing. I held all of your views and I understand where your good heart comes from. I walked in those moccasins, and you and I have much more in common than what is discussed in this e-mail.

"Love, Rachel-Rose

Fair enough. I'm glad you've walked in those shoes - I don't know if you represent the majority, and I hope that in conversation with fellow conservatives, you'd make some of your experiences clear, particularly if they bash minorities or the poor. But a few questions: 1. If you've hung out with people who are gay, do you think they chose their lifestyle, or do you want them to deny their feelings? 2. How is that going to get health care to the poor? Here is another comment:

"Health care should be a right, not a privilege. Everyone should be
eligible for the best health care available. Healthy 'choices' should be
encouraged, though they just stated vegetables won't keep the cancer
away.  I fail to see how this can be argued with, though some people do
argue with me about it. Why does Orrin Hatch have better health care
than me? Why is he better?

"Then again I don't go to clubs because I will have nothing to do with
the velvet rope rule that says Jeter gets in ahead of me.

(ed. note: See, that's the difference between a right and a privilege.)

"I was laid off last week but my health care will continue for a year and
a half or until I enter a new plan. I'm lucky. Some people who are laid
off have their health care cut off. Shouldn't happen in the USA.

"How do you pay for it? Taxes. And the rich people should pay a lot more.
Again why is this a point of argument?" - K

I don't know. Hopefully Bush will think about this.

These are important issues. But while we get lost debating the moral, is Bush going to protect our nuclear power plants and container ports, or is that going to get lost in the hubbub?

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...the barometer in my apartment is 29.6 and rising, and it's wet and windy out.

Also, last call for mistakes you found in Carrie Pilby. (Besides that it got published - ha ha ha, you so funny). E-mail lizzner@aol.com.