Kerry endorses Obama

Not sure how happy Obama will be with this. Is the endorsement of last cycle's big loser really all that valuable? Still, an endorsement is an endorsement when you are in a tough battle. And if it leads other folks to also endorse you (like perhaps VP Al Gore) then it may make a bigger difference.

Then again, if John Kerry is endorsing you, can you really say you are "the candidate of change?"

"Don't Tase Me, Bro"

The recent tasing of a University of Florida student at a town hall style meeting with John Kerry has been making headlines around the world. Tonight I decided to check out YouTube to see what I could make of the situation. Some are saying that it was police brutality and a suspension of the student's first amendment rights. Others were saying that he was warned and resisted arrest. This video (according to a Wired article) appears to be the number one viral video, but I think this other video gives a much better angle and has much better sound. From the videos, my conclusion is that the student was warned many times and the police had to keep escalating their level of force. By the time he was saying that he would walk, it was too late. Even after he laid on the ground, he still continued to resist arrest. What reactions did others have?

Warning: Both videos do have the tasing and the student does use one very non-Family safe word once.

What Is a Pro-Life Candidate?

I've been mulling over in my head the question, "What is a pro-life candidate?" On the one hand, this may seem like an easy question, but given the current choice of candidates and what they claim versus what they've done, the issue has been made much muddier. Take, for example, Mitt Romney. Romney has been on both sides of the issue and appears to be flip-flopping, much like John Kerry did on issues last election. Can someone who has flip-flopped be a pro-life candidate? Remember, Ronald Reagan at one point was pro-choice. What about Fred Thompson? His Senate vote makes him look pro-life, but his stance is that abortion is a state issue. Therefore, it makes sense that he would vote "pro-life" in Washington. Can a candidate that votes "pro-life", but leaves the decision up to the states be a pro-life candidate? What if that same candidate is pro-choice at the state level? (To be fair, I haven't found conclusive evidence of whether Fred Thompson is pro-life or pro-choice at the state level.)

On another matter (and perhaps this is a different post), why has no candidate come out as a strong pro-life candidate? It appears that all of the candidates are either vocally pro-choice or are pro-choice and paying lip service to the pro-life movement. (i.e. "I am personally pro-life, but we have to let a woman choose.")