A Scary, Scary Possibility

Somehow, someway, Mick Huckabee is still running under a Republican ticket for to be the President of the United States of America in 2008. After his decisive primary wins in the lower half of the US during February 5-9, he decided he is going to give it all he has.

Does this scare anybody else?

Do I think he'll win the nomination? Oh no. McCain has had the lead for a long time and there is an over 600 point delegate difference between the two candidates and I don't think Huckabee will win the rest of the states.

But what if there were to be a McCain-Huckabee ticket for the presidential election? McCain would be 72 years old if he became President. My medical sociology book says the life expectancy for a white male in about 75 years old. It would be very possible for McCain to die during his presidency because the stress of being President could shorten his life expectancy. Then Mr. Michael Huckabee would be the 45th President of the United States.

AHHHHHHHHHH.

In a general overview, I believe church and state should be completely separate in this country. If the Republicans want to say that the founding fathers were influenced by their religious beliefs, then so be it. That's a fact. But the other fact is, no matter what the founding fathers believe, they wrote into the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights of the "building a wall of separation between church and state" (Thomas Jefferson).

It seems every comment that comes out of Mike Huckabee's mouth is related to his faith and his background as an ordained Southern Baptist minister. "I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution," Huckabee told a Michigan audience on Monday. "But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living god. And that's what we need to do -- to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view," which was a statement by Huckabee reported on MSNBC.

I know I'm in the minority in this country, but I do not believe in God or a god. Why should I live in a country whose ideals are not focused around what is best for the people, but best for Huckabee's targeted demographics?

When asked about homosexuality in a Times article, Huckabee responded, "That's their business. I may not agree with it and, in fact, don't agree with it. But I respect that they have the right to do it. When they want to change the rules, though, of institutions like marriage, I feel I have a responsibility to speak out. The rules are one man, one woman for life."

Isn't the institution of marriage a spiritual ideal? Or at least in the way Huckabee is referring to? People have a right to the pursuit of happiness as well, even if it's not what Huckabee considers to be happiness.

In the same article, Huckabee made a note about his cost-cutting methods. "The greatest level of cost savings, though, would be realized by putting a new focus on preventive health."

How can we put a focus on expensive, preventive healthcare when we don't have universal coverage? Under Huckabee's system, the rich and healthy would only get healthier while the poor would still need the most healthcare. One cannot put a focus on preventive healthcare for the people who need it least, or for the people who fit into the morals Huckabee would set forth for this country.

And abortion. You can Google the issue all you want and you will see everywhere that Mike Huckabee is against abortion and believes life begins at conception.

In a letter to the editor by John Blass, MD, he states, "There is no consensus among biologists that a fertilized cell is alive in a sense that an unfertilized egg or unused sperm is not." Also, in a NARAL article, it is reported, "The new profile shows that, when it comes to opposing reproductive freedom, Huckabee is a stand-out. He supports a so-called "human life" amendment to the United States Constitution. Versions of these amendments could lead to bans on not only abortion, but most common forms of birth control, stem-cell research, and assisted reproductive technologies like in-vitro fertilization."

How can a man decide the reproductive rights of a woman? If I want to have sex with a condom or use birth control because I do not want to become pregnant, that is my unalienable right. I am not a religious person and I believe in sex before marriage and for other reasons besides procreating. Also, with bans against all the entities stated above, there will be more unwanted babies, more back-alley abortions, etc. which therefore create more taxes and economic strain on the rest of America. Also, if Mike Huckabee believes in preventive healthcare, isn't stem-research a form of such? By finding cures for diseases, the country could have a healthier population and reduced healthcare costs.

In all, I find it scary, as a young American, that Mick Huckabee, a man with such morals and beliefs based in a religious system, could be the President in the next 4 years or ever. I believe in social activism, change and tolerance and it seems Mike Huckabee stands in opposition to all those entities.

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