election 2008

When George Bush extended the length of time presidential papers can be kept secret he ensured that activities of his father would remain secret. In doing so he also ensured secrecy for Clinton and himself. Would Barak Obama reduce the lenghth time of such secrecy? Would Hillary Clinton?
I think that Congress should make those decisions not a sitting president.

Congratualtions for the judgment and humanity of South Carolinians!

First and foremost, all politics are about "issues of humanity"; these fall under three categories: ECOLOGY (family issues); ECONOMY (women's issues); and EUCHARIST (religious issues).

ECOLOGY is about "the family of life", the global interdependency of all life for mutual sustainability, what are issues of family. There is no wealth, no common sustainability, no economy, except for prevision and provision which attend to common interests. Prevision, provision, and means of providing are pre-eminently "women's issues" and women's virtues.

ECONOMY is about the "nurturing capacity" of motherhood, issues of women, of parenting that is tireless and indiscriminate in caring for all interdependent members of the family of life, so none is left wanting and all are adequately provided for by virtue of the complementary capacities of individuals and communities.

EUCHARIST is about love, conscious sensitivity informing personal conscience; what religion and relationships have in common. Being "subsidiary" is being attentive, at this place, at this time, to the needs of self and others, and being responsible in doing what one can personally and immediately do, by sustaining also the economic resources of global ecologies.

Ecology is an issues of "mutuality"; Economy is an issue of "complementarity"; Eucharist is an issue of "subsidiarity". One hopes, that as a people, we have become sufficiently mature, as to envison our cosmic place, in the trinitarian harmony of Ecology/ Economy/ Eucharist. These are what social relationship, what civil harmony and political responsibility are about.

These "issues of humanity" are about the repeat-reciprocal-relationship of each to the other: of the relationship of economy to ecology, of ecology to Eucharist, and of Eucharist to economy, etc, and again, iteratively.

I believe that the people of South Carolina voted for the candidate who most credibly addressed these issues of humanity in this time of humanity's special need.

Sylvester L. Steffen

The framing of issues is beginning to take shape in the 2008 election cycle. I am an Iowa voter; I voted for Barack Obama and I still support him, nevertheless, I like what happened yesterday in New Hampshire. The question of voting for a "black" candidate or a woman candidate cancels out for me; either means unprededented "change". So for me what matters are the most pertinent issues confronting America and the world, now and into the future, namely, fundamental ISSUES OF HUMANITY.

The candidates are qualified to bring these issues to the fore and to speak on them prospectively; to me the issues are: "women's" issues, "family" issues and "religion" issues, all of which interconnect with each other fundamentally and with the crises of global ecology, economics and sociology. I'm glad Mike Huckabee is part of the dialogue. A healthy multi-sided dialogue can advance the causes of humanity.

I hope for public dialogue that speaks directly to these issues, free of ideological fixation and demagoguery. I think the candidates can do this effectively without falling into hot button traps of religious/political ideologues who can't get beyond fixations of single issues. The candidates can preempt the religious/political ideologues; the American public should welcome that and should join the dialogue.