Apples and Oranges

CNN's Jake Tapper asked Republican Presidential nominee hopeful Mike Huckabee a question on Sunday July 5^th which has created a bit of controversy.

Q. “Which do you think threatens to undermine the institution of marriage in this country more,” the CNN host asked, “same-sex marriage or the rampant ranks of infidelity and the high divorce rates in this country among straight couples?”

Mr. Huckabee wasn’t quick enough on his feet to answer the clumsily stated question properly.

The question itself was a popular method of equating an apple with an orange in order to make someone appear small minded or ignorant. The question should've been more along the lines of-

“What is it concerning Same Sex Marriage which straight couples feel undermines their marriages?" 

Or- Mr. Huckabee could’ve answered with a question of his own about the lesbian couple who are getting divorced after their wedding last July in New York. Dese Rae Stage and Katie Marks; both 29; are getting divorced after Marks met a new woman on the Internet.

So, Mr. Huckabee could’ve asked something like, “Will all Same Sex marriages be going the way of the Stage-Marks union in New York? Once the novelty wears off will we be seeing a massive amount of divorce arising from such hastily conceived unions? Do you think that the high rates of infidelity which were historically a part of the Gay lifestyle before the advent of AIDS, might make a return?”

Hey, I've got an idea! How about a real question which compares an apple to an apple?

Q. “Do you think 2 people in love- gay or straight- are; or should be; a threat to one another?”

Or even something less complex, like;

“Do you think that there will be any difference between true love in either a Same Sex Marriage or a Straight Marriage?”

It would be nice if the reporters would ask real questions. Who knows, we might even get real answers.

2012 and the Secret Ballot - An Opinion.

The Presidential Election is looming ahead of us, and though over a year away, the battlelines have already been drawn, and the worthless rhetoric begun. What can we do, each of us, as individuals, to break the cycle of rancor and division? It's quite simple. The Secret Ballot. You have it, it's your right, use it.

Imagine an election in which there are no polls to highlight the divide between political factions. Some people might even think about the issues. I have proposed this in 2004 and 2008, to no avail. I believe I was a bit ahead of the times then. But I also believe that it is a viable solution, as well as a possible deterrent, to the forces that seek to keep us split, 49% against 51%, in a continuosly shifting battle, one which serves only the politicians, and the media, running the show.

In this coming election cycle I encourage you, when asked, by friends and pollsters alike, who you are voting for, to reply with something like, "I am exercising my right to vote a Secret Ballot." If they persist, question their loyalty to the Constitution, which they all, on both sides, so vociferously defend.

If the Conservative persists, you can accuse him of betraying the Constitution. On the other hand, if a Liberal is bothering you, you can question his patriotism as well. After all, both sides are extremists, and as such, threats to the order of our society. Numerous as they may be, the faults of the system in place now, pale in comparison to the spectre of Tea Partiers, or Juinor Congressman, running the country. And as for Donald Trump, don't even get me started.

So, vow to vote your conscious. That is your Right. But don't give the 24/7 news cycle the fuel on which they feed, as they continue to influence elections with their "polls." That's your Right, too. And in a more important way, it's also your Responsibilty.