Being liberal does not mean liking a certain crowd of intellectuals or working for the media.
It means sticking to principles of freedom and civil rights regardless of others’ opinion of freedom and civil rights.
The media loves to shift to a hard right position whenever it suits them. The most glaring example is the treatment of Vice President Dick Cheney. In particular, every bio-ethicist Nazi freak has come out of their Ivory Towers to declare to the world that the president must be the picture of physical perfection and we should require such perfection in our Constitution.
There are several underlying issues with such garbage. First, theoretical ethics–no matter how “perfect”–cannot ignore existing laws. Dick Cheney is protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act until he becomes so far gone without dying that his condition triggers the Lame Duck Amendment (25th).
Pronounce the words: civil rights.
If any discrimination occurs against Cheney, it must be against his qualifications and ability to carry out the job of Vice President. While he may be politically abrasive to over half the country, Cheney certainly has the qualifications and experience. His heart condition does not threaten his ability to perform in the capacity of his office. Furthermore, Cheney is not irresponsible. When the condition reaches a critical point, he’s smart enough to step aside.
If Cheney goes down like Dale Earnhart of NASCAR, it will be doing the job he loves. Case closed. The Constitution is designed to create a government that will continue to function regardless of any person at any level. Proposing that we change the Constitution to require “health” is the kind of cryptic double-speak used by pre-WWII Germany.
When bio-ethicists, like those at the University of Pennsylvania, speak about added medical requirements to the office of the presidency, they are saying two things:1) Only my colleagues and I can protect you from your political choices and 2) Only perfect people(read: people like me) can lead our nation.
If Cheney had leprosy or AIDS, he wouldn’t make it to thought of being vice president. Cheney has a heart condition. Responsibility controls it. Cheney has demonstrated that he handles his condition responsibly.
And if there no choice about dying in office, the best way to go is with the pedal to the metal. Cyberista looks forward to criticizing Cheney and the Bush Administration until the end of their first and only term.
