Saturday, September 27, 2008

the measure of a country

Governor Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, was scheduled to speak September 22, 2008 at a rally in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza to protest the appearance here of President Ahmadinejad of Iran. Her appearance was canceled by rally organizers who sought a nonpolitical event. You can read her speech here. While I appreciated what she said for the most part, one line jumped out at me as I read it..
"It is said that the measure of a country is the treatment of its most vulnerable citizens."
Though she was pointing out the oppressive and barbaric treatment of women in Iran, that was not MY first thought about who are the most vulnerable citizens of any country. The unborn and the elderly and the disabled.. that would be my thought. It sent a chill up my spine to think how my own country treats these groups of individuals.

Prior to elections I always check to see who the Pro Life candidates are, and then the Pro Death.
I have always felt that if one can be so barbaric as to murder a child before he/she is born, then that person has no regard for humanity or life. And then, how will they treat the disabled and elderly too? Are they just as worthless as the new life that is forming? Why would one want to murder the person who could be the one who might just have the cure for cancer or other horrible diseases? AIDS? God will judge in the end, but as long as I have a voice in government, I will always be aware of how the candidate views the innocent and vote accordingly.
The criteria is simple, and if they pass my test, they have my vote, as I feel they can have a less dynamic campaign, but how they treat others tells me how they handle other situations in the world.

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