Political showdown in West

Regarding the Press Coverage this year - It has been my understanding that most professional fields have a Code of Professional Ethics that governs their work. My gut has always told me that it is the job of the Press to investigate and report the news in a fair and balanced manner, setting aside personal biases. Now, I’m now forced to rethink the accuracy of my guts communication. Integrity in the News, Based on a Code of Ethics. It is found on zachjonesishome.wordpress.com. Specifically: http://zachjonesishome.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/obama-sinclair-integrity-in-the-news/

THE LORD's ELECT: MICHAEL www.hismajesty2008.info Mccain or obama,forget them both.. God has his elect,and greta mystery babylon system is about to fall,this sept/oct. The economic unrest should be all the proof you need as to the judgements that are waiting this mystery woman called great mystery babylon...

My wife and I live in Colorado. I used to vote Republican because I believe in limited government, individual rights (e.g., free speech, and the right to keep and bear arms), and a strong national defense. But I can no longer do so, because the Republicans have moved away from supporting a proper limited government and instead chosen to embrace the agenda of the Religious Right. In particular, the Republicans' views on "social issues" such as abortion, stem cell research, and gay marriage are all deeply disturbing to me. These violate the basic principle of separation of church and state, and threaten to impose one group's religious views on all of us as a matter of law. (This is not an endorsement of Obama -- in fact I loathe his anti-American policies.) To paraphrase an old Ronald Reagan quote, "I didn't leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left me." Given that there are many voters like myself in Western "purple" swing states like Colorado, this does not bode well for the Republican Party. For a more detailed explanation of my reasons, please see: "Why the Republicans Have Lost My Vote" http://www.seculargovernment.us/blog/2008/07/correspondence-with-local-republicans.shtml Paul Hsieh Sedalia, CO

I live in New Mexico. I am a Republican. Yes, New Mexico is regarded as a swing state. But the swing is already well on its way to the left and I can tell you right now why. The Republican Party has become dominated by the Religious Right. The many edicts of the Religious Right are quite clear, among which are the following: forcing prayer in schools---no matter what parents prefer, merging government and church to work faith-based organizations, banning abortion entirely, "returning to the patriarchal family" (women are wordlessly to obey the man of the family, abandon career and stay home to nurture the family exclusively. Hard to believe? You can look it up. It's true. It's been discussed. It's written down. The Religious Right is not kidding around. They mean it.) But most imminent and most dangerous is the Religious Right's goal to destroy the separation between church and state. This fact is turning people away from the GOP. This fact is smothering the vigor of the GOP. This fact will cause New Mexico to go Democratic. Most Americans understand that in order to assure religious freedom, America must remain secular. The GOP must assert this repeatedly and without reservation. To re-attract the many people leaving its rolls, the GOP must repudiate the Religious Right entirely.

This article struck a nerve with me! My husband and I live in Colorado, and have been Republicans for all of our voting life. We no longer feel at home in the party, largely because of the Republican abandonment of individual liberty in favor of religion in politics. Separation of church and state should be part of the Republican agenda, as religion has no part in the law of the land. Religious fundamentalism is a threat to individual liberty and is not true to the original principles of our founders or our party. One can stand for freedom to practice religion (or not) but stand against laws restricting reproductive freedom, teaching faith (creationism) as if it was science in public schools, legislating sexual issues, etc. It is dismaying to see the religious right become a driving force in the Republican Party. I am not alone in this; most Republicans I know feel alienated from the party on this issue. Living in a swing state, I believe that this issue needs to be revisited, as we have a lot to lose if Democrats increase their power.

I live in Colorado and I am a Republican. I support the principles of individual freedom, free markets, and a government whose only valid function is to protect individual rights. Such tenets have made the United States the greatest and most prosperous nation on earth. I will not vote for McCain, however, because the Republican party has abandoned these principles and has instead adopted the ideology of the Religious Right. As numerous writings from this movement have indicated, the Religious Right advocates government actions that are directly opposed to the ideas of individual liberty: it seeks to erode the separation between church and state. Even though I oppose the Democratic Party on principle, I cannot--for the same reasons--vote for a Republican candidate; the GOP has also abandoned the principles I follow. Until the Republican Party denounces the Religious Right, it will never receive my vote.