The politial season being fully upon us, I have this fantasy that every day I’ll be able to review a political ad for its content and determine the truth behind it. Of course, that won’t happen because I have other serious responsibilities.
Wait a minute; what did I just say? Our most fervent civic obligation, we are reminded repeatedly and redundantly, is to vote. I am an American and proud of that fact. So it is my duty to vote. But how can I vote if I don’t know the truth behind the ads? But how can I possibly know the truth behind all the ads?
I hate to come across as cynical, but once again this shows the fallacy of the way we do democracy here in America. Democracy as the fathers of our country conceived of it meant that everybody was involved in self-governance, not that they all voted for the president. They would participate in their local elections, involve themselves in the daily operations of their towns, and argue fervently over the little issues that make local life interesting.
Then some of them would be forced to go to the higher levels of politics, where they would represent their local areas.
Slavery, industrialism, and urbanization put an end to all that. “All that”, of course, being freedom.
So rather than try to review all the ads, I’ll pick one when I can and find an article that seems to take a thorough look at the ad itself. Today’s choice is the famous John McCain ad that accuses Obama of voting for a bill that calls for comprehensive sex ed for kindergartners.
The Obama reply has been pretty aggressive and uniform. In fact, when John McCain was on The View, he was told to his face by Whoopi Goldberg that this ad was a lie. Not incorrect, mind you, a deliberate lie. Thus the media and the Obama campaign have decided to go after McCain on what he has been most noted for in his political career, which is his integrity.
So this is rather a big deal. Either McCain is lying and has smeared Obama or Obama and his allies are smearing McCain.
My conclusion is that the wording in the bill for which Obama voted is pretty clear.
Each class or course in comprehensive sex education in any of grades K through 12 shall include instruction on the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including the prevention, transmission and spread of HIV.
Please note the words “comprehensive sex education” and “in any of grades K through 12.”
I believe that Obama was intending his personal vote to do what he said, to provide instruction to very young children on how to avoid sexual predators. But that isn’t all that he voted for, regardless of his intentions.
What he voted for was a revision to an earlier law, a revision that removed sections on marriage and abstinece, largely, it seems, because of the influence and information of Planned Parenthood, that mother organization of racist eugenics. The revision that he voted for was a call for comprehensive sex education for kindergartners under the leadership or at least strong influence of Planned Parenthood.
Here is how Byron York at National Review summarized his article, which, uniquely among the articles/attacks on McCain’s character, actually read, copied, and discussed the bill itself:
Obama’s explanation for his vote has been accepted by nearly all commentators. And perhaps that is indeed why he voted for Senate Bill 99, although we don’t know for sure. But we do know that the bill itself was much more than that. The fact is, the bill’s intention was to mandate that issues like contraception and the prevention of sexually-transmitted diseases be included in sex-education classes for children before the sixth grade, and as early as kindergarten. Obama’s defenders may howl, but the bill is what it is.
Read the article here to take a closer look at the issue.
