It's Freedom and Equality, Stupid.

During the 1992 presidential race, political strategist James Carville hung a sign in Bill Clinton's Little Rock campaign headquarters that read: "The economy, stupid." It kept everyone focused on what he felt was the most important issue. Although it's been slightly amended, the phrase "It's the economy, stupid" is now used by many political candidates as well as the general public, and is understandably considered by many to be the most important issue of the current presidential race.

It shouldn't be.   

Shouldn't our nation's fundamental, core principles of freedom, liberty and equality for all -- the very ideals set forth by our founding fathers and laid out in our Constitution -- be a nonpartisan issue that all Americans wish to protect and defend? 

You'd think so; but apparently not. 

Certainly, there's a myriad of other issues to consider when deciding whom to cast a vote for, such as job growth, the environment, health care and economic policies to name a few. I have my own views on such things, of course, but respect, appreciate and support the fact that knowledgeable, intelligent people on all sides can and should (and do) engage in rationale, reasonable civil debate and respectfully disagree on these important topics.  I support compromise on most issues. It's the American way.

But here is what I am not willing to compromise on (and neither should any American):  Freedom, liberty and equality for ALL!

Today’s Republican party has been hijacked by so-called, self-professed Christian Tea Party types (who hardly practice true Christian principles of nonjudgmental love and acceptance) – people who would turn our nation into a theocracy, base national, public policies on lies and misinterpretations from an archaic book written as far back as 3,500 years ago, and who continually exhibit judgement, bigotry and hate. They think the Constitution starts with “We the wealthy, straight, white, Christian males” instead of “We the people.” They want to turn back the clock; they want to take us backwards; they want to reverse hard won achievements in freedom, liberty and equal rights. They vow to add an amendment to the Constitution to define marriage as between “one man and one woman,” which would be the first addition to the U.S. Constitution that ever denied rights, freedoms and equality to a large segment of Americans, including me. They vow to reinstate the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy – the repeal of which is the most important civil rights achievement in recent years. They vow to deny and rescind many freedoms, rights, liberties and equality to hundreds of thousands of gay Americans, including me -- simply because we were born and are genetically wired to be emotionally and physically attracted to the same sex.

I did not voluntarily enlist and serve in a Marine Corps Force Recon unit – and put my life on the line -- to protect and defend job growth, the environment, health care or economic policies.  The friends of mine who died while serving our nation in the Marine Corps did not sacrifice their lives for job growth, the environment, health care or economic policies.  We did it to protect and defend basic American principles of freedom, liberty and equality for ALL. 

Yet today’s Republican Party would deny me the same freedoms, liberties, rights and equality that other Americans enjoy and take for granted.

The only way the Republican Party will break the bonds and distance itself from the dangerous influence and control of the un-American Tea Party types – and allow the more rationale, reasonable and intelligent of the bunch to take their party back – is to send a message, loud and clear, in the upcoming November elections that we will not tolerate their anti-American agenda.

Simply put: A vote for Romney, Ryan and other leaders of today's Republican Party is a vote against the American principles of freedom, liberty and equality for ALL!