Monday, May 7, 2012

It's time to vote

Had an interesting caller on Live and Local, a talk radio show I host weekdays from 7 to 9am. It's on WRHT, Thunder Country 96.3, and covers a chunk of eastern North Carolina. He isn't going to vote in the primary, says it's a waste of time and money.

We were cussing and discussing NC's primary, and about the only serious race for consideration, Amendment 1. Some call it the Marriage Amendment. Other names are less nice. In general, liberals are urging voters to vote AGAINST this amendment. Conservatives are hoping it will pass. The amendment, proposed by heaven-only-knows who, wants the state's Constitution to be amended to include wording something like, the state will recognize marriage as being ONLY between a man and a woman. In other words, if you're gay or lesbian, the state will not see you as being married. Of course, a 1996 law does the same thing.

I'm not sure what the fuss is all about. Religious beliefs generally recognize marriage as only between a man and a woman. The LAW, right now, does the same thing. Of course, laws can be changed by those guys we ELECT to the North Carolina Senate and House of Representatives. If you have a beef with the law, see your ELECTED lawmakers. LEAVE THE CONSTITUTION ALONE! It was written by much smarter guys than we have running the state and this great nation. And, you cannot, and we should not, regulate moraility. Remember that old thing, separation of church and state?

The Marriage Amendment isn't the ONLY item on this year's ballot.
Though he's not in my current district, there's a marine, a former marine, who's running as a republican for the US House of Representatives from the Seventh District. That's in the Wilmington NC area. His name is Ilario Pantano. If he's successful Tuesday in his bid for the republican nomination, he'll go up against Mike McIntyre, an entrenched democrat. Mike's been there a long time, and...some say...he's done a good job. More conservative, I'll admit, than the regular democrat, but it might be time for him to sit back and take his retirement bucks. It is, without a doubt, time for some fresh blood in Washington, someone like Ilario. Ilario has been in close touch with the folks in North Carolina, folks who may have elected O-Damn-Bama four years ago, folks who have, by all estimates, realized the errors of their ways. It's time for a strong conservative in Congress, not only in NC's Seventh District, but in the Third District where I currently live. Ilario...I'm proud to call him a friend...is the man in the 7th.

In the 3rd, Republican Walter Jones is seeking election to another term. He was elected in 1994, signing the republicans' Contract With America, promising to serve no more than 12 years. That, you'll note, was 18 years ago. Though he's a republican, as noted, he's been rated as one of the most liberal voting republicans in the House, even more liberal than a lot of democrats.

There are no serious democratic contenders in this race, but there is one republican working to win the party's nomination. He's a veteran cop, Frank Palombo. 34 years as a cop, some 14 years as the chief of the New Bern Police Department, along with six years in the US Air Force, making him more than qualified to serve in Congress. He's conservative and practical, and he has a great personality. As with Ilario Pantano in the 7th, Frank Palombo would do us proud in the 3rd District.

Polls open at 6:30 am, and will remain open until 7:30 pm. In spite of what my friend, our radio caller, said this morning about not voting in the primary, I encourage you to take the time and do what I still consider an obligation. Though it's an expensive process, unless someone can come up with a better solution to "narrow the field of contenders", the primary race is our only option.

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