And So It Begins...

Some of you may recognize this ominous line from the Vorlon Ambasador, Kosh, in the Sci-Fi TV show, Babylon 5. Somehow it just seems a fitting statement at this particular moment in history.

As I write these words, Ann Coulter has endorsed Hillary Clinton over John McCain, Hillary "I'm a Fighter" Clinton has accused Barack Oboma of negative campaigning and Ken Starr tactics, Barack Oboma says he has superior judgment, and the new Republican nominee, John McCain, has accepted the endorsement of one of history's least popular presidents simply so he can improve his appeal to the least rational elements of his party.

Yes, it's going to be an exciting year...

Welcome to Rational Democracy! This is a place where reaching across the isle is strongly encouraged if it means actually accomplishing something positive, something constructive, and most of all, something rational. Below is a (very) short listing of the type of things I'll likely talk about.

Encouraging startups to dream big about building great new cars that run on alternative (and clean!) forms of energy is rational. Suggesting an increase in big oil tax incentives to build new refineries when they're already recording record profits is not rational.

Providing incentives to encourage mothers of unwanted unborn babies to put their child up for adoption is rational. Making it easy for a woman to selfishly end the life of her unborn child as an alternative to contraceptives and responsible life choices is not rational. Additionally, using government funds to discourage research into ethical alternatives to embryonic stem cell research is not rational.

Complaining bitterly about Bill Clinton's lack of leadership which allowed terrorists to destroy multiple US embassies (US soil, in my book) and nearly sink the USS Cole with almost zero retribution is quite rational. Complaining bitterly about the poor intelligence that allowed nine terrorists to kill thousands on US soil and gave President Bush the excuse he needed to invade Iraq is rational. Complaining that our president has used ideology as an alternative to responsible life-altering choices is very rational. Yanking our troops out of Iraq just because we're mad about President Bush's irrational decisions is truly not rational, especially knowing the entire region would quickly fall into complete chaos and force us to risk even more US lives.

Okay, by now I'm sure I've irritated both NeoCons and NeoLibs alike. At least I didn't discriminate.

I look forward to your input! I should note that I do reserve the right to occasionally contradict myself. I'm only human after all. I also reserve the right to simply change my mind on occasion. Sometimes, when confronted with new information, that's simply the most rational thing to do. In any case, I hope that together we can come to some rational conclusions about how things should be done and tell our government leaders to either follow our advice or get out of Washington!