Bush Rallies Support For Democrats in 2006

ABC News: Bush Rallies Gay Marriage Opponents

ABC got this headline wrong. Bush isn't Rallying support for Gay Marriage Opponents, he's polarizing the rest of the country to turn out against Republicans in the mid term election of 2006.

This is such a waste of time and proof of President Bush's inability to assess and direct priorities that its ridiculous.

While President Bush is talking about Gay Marriage Ban's, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran is threatening to shut off oil to the world, driving oil prices right back up again if nothing else. Iran is fighting with us right now at an economic level. President Bush is concerning himself with a non-issue while Iran is driving instability into the energy market and increasing the threats of inflation. This is the area where the US is the weakest and President Bush doesn't even realized that he's getting sucker punched.

I sent to emails this afternoon to my Senator, Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Senator John McCain, whom I supported in 2000 before Bush sucker punched him in South Carolina.

From my personal perspective I think Gay Marriage should be allowed. I served in the military and there are a lot of gay people in the military, some not asking and not telling and others that are very much the opposite. I don't care what their sexuality is if they want to defend their country, then that's fine with me.(I feel the same about women in combat. They are capable and have proven themselves in their capability. Let them serve.) I feel that if a couple wants to be married then more power to them, let them pay the same higher taxes that my wife and I pay as a married couple. It will help keep the deficit down. Marriage and sexuality may help promote families, but it is not the deciding factor. I know too many straight married couples that harm the institution of marriage. I also know many gay couples that reinforce the institution of marriage. My message below however is that there are more important issues in the world today. An amendment to the consitution to ban something is a waste of time and misdirection of priorities.

For a satyrical look at this topic see the 'Truth About Marriage' Video from the US Department of Normal Values and Clean Morals.

Both emails were similar: here is the letter I sent to John McCain.

Dear Senator McCain,

I think President Bush's recommendation to amend the constitution with a ban on Gay marriage is absolutely ridiculous.

I think such a ban of exclusion has no place in the constitution, which should focus on inclusion not exclusion. Let State's regulate marriage licensing. It will probably be a 100 years before the state's figure out how they want to deal with the topic, but that's OK. Something like this takes time. My Great Grandmother was an fought against alcohol and for women's rights 100 years ago. Both seemed like good topics at a cursory level, but history has shown that prohibition of alcohol doesn't work and that the country isn't ready to amend the constitution with a equal rights amendment(which I would disagree with but the bottom line is the country as a whole is not ready.)

I'm a Republican. I think the party has shot itself in the foot for the last four years and needs to get its head on straight. We're spending money like democrats and acting on principles just as Rush Limbaugh used to preach. The problem is that we're not executing effectively and at the end the results don't match anyone's expectations. Now our principle's appear faulty because we didn't execute. If the Republican party keeps lamenting about the need for a Gay Marriage Ban, the party is going to hand the mid term elections to the democrats.

If the party is not bright enough to see the error in its way, then maybe a Democrat led Congress is what the country needs right now. I don't say that happily, but choosing battles and priorities is an important leadership characteristic. If the Republican party chooses this as the battle de jour then I think it will be a signal to the rank and file along with the rest of the country that they have lost touch not only on the importance of this issue but also with the real priorities of the day. (Iraq War, Terrorism, Oil fiascos, Natural Disaster Preparedness, Economy etc.) Gay marriage is so far down the ladder of important priorities that it is not even funny. President Bush is wasting his energy on the pulpit talking about it and just inviting ridicule. I think you know how unimportant this topic is as it does not even come up in your 'general topic of your message' drop down box on your contact site that I'm submitting this email under.

For whatever its worth in your consideration of my email, I'm married and have been for over 13 years to a member of the opposite sex. We have 3 kids. I served in the military during the first Persian gulf War. I have 2 bachelor's degrees and a master's degree and run my own business. So in case that helps in understanding where I shake out in the demographics, use it as you will. I was born and raised in Peoria, IL and have lived in Missouri, California, Texas, Boston, Georgia, Illinois and Florida. I supported you in your bid for the presidential nomination in 2000. If you want to make a serious run for it in 2008, you better get your act together and start showing some of the strengths that you used to exhibit. We don't need a President that Panders, we had that with Bill Clinton and got no where with it. We don't need a leader that leads from the gut either without any thought or consideration with how to execute a plan. President Bush has shown us that even with the best principles, if you can execute a solid plan with forethought and consideration the country and the world will not benefit.

Let's start getting it right for a change, Please!



Sign off remark.

I'm outraged about the actions of the NSA recently. I served as an intelligence analyst for the US Army and NSA. I know what can be done with the type of information they collected. It is outragious to me that they crossed this line. General Hayden is a smart leader, but the buck should have stopped with him. He should not have been put in charge of the CIA with a background that allowed the intelligence community to walk all over the domestic rights of normal American citizens and politicians. The action to allow the NSA to continue as it has without even a slap on the wrist is going to come back to haunt the Republican party in the years and decades to come, especially in the years when the Democrats will be in power.

No one should have absolute power over intelligence, its too powerful of a corrupting force.

Best Regards,
Brett Bumeter
Lawrenceville, GA