Recently Read Books

  • A Delicate Truth- John Le Carre (fiction)
  • Perfect - Rachel Joyce (Fiction)
  • The Expats - Chris Pavone (Fiction)
  • An Event in Autumn - Henning Mankel (Fiction)
  • Winter in Madrid - C.J.Sansom (Fiction)
  • The Brothers - John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles - non-fiction
  • LIfe Among Giants - Bill Roorbach (Novel)
  • Empty Mansions - Bill Dedman (non-fiction)
  • Woodrow Wilson (non fiction)
  • Lawrence in Arabia (Non-Fiction)
  • In Sunlight and In Shadow by Mark Helpren (Fiction)
  • Lesson in French - Hilary Reyl (fiction)
  • Unbroken- Laura Hillenbrand (Non-Fiction)
  • Venice, A New History- Thomas Madden - (Non- Fiction)
  • Life is a Gift - Tony Bennett Autobiography
  • The First Counsell - Brad Meltzer (Fiction)
  • Destiny of the Republic - President James Garfield non-fiction by Candice Millard
  • The Last Lion (volume III)- William Manchester and Paul Reid (non-fiction, Winston Churchill)
  • Yellowstone Autumn -W.D. Wetherell (non-fiction about turning 55 and fishing in Yellowstone)
  • Everybody was Young- (non-fiction Paris in the 1920's)
  • Scorpion - (non fiction US Supreme Court)
  • Supreme Power - Jeff Shesol (non-fiction)
  • Zero day by David Baldacci ( I read all of Baldacci's Books)
  • Northwest Angle - William Kent Krueger (fiction - I have read 5 or 6 books by this author)
  • Camelot's Court-Insider the Kennedy Whitehouse- Robert Dallek
  • Childe Hassam -Impressionist (a beautiful book of his paintings)

Friday, March 15, 2013

Senator Portman and a Change of Views


I read an interesting article about republican Senator Rob Portman from Ohio.  Senator Portman was one of the people Mitt Romney was considering as a vice presidential candidate in the last election before Paul Ryan was chosen for that role.  Over the years, Mr. Portman has been a vocal opponent of same sex marriage.  In 2011, Portman's "openly hostile" record on gay rights led to hundreds of students at the University of Michigan objecting to the senator speaking at the school's graduation ceremony.

 "Rob believes marriage is a sacred bond between one man and one woman," a Portman spokesman told the Plain Dealer at the time of the protest.

Sen. Rob Portman says he now supports same-sex marriage because one of his sons is gay. The Ohio Republican informed reporters from several newspapers in his home state of his reversal, which The Columbus Dispatch calls "stunning."  Portman told The Cincinnati Enquirer his evolution on the subject began in 2011 when his son, Will, then a freshman at Yale University, told his parents he was gay.  Portman told the Enquirer his new views reflect "a change of heart from the position of a father".

I understand Mr. Portman’s change of position and agree with it.  It seems to me that you see some people opposed to gay marriage until one of their children comes out as gay.  Then frequently the parent makes a shift of position wanting their child to have an opportunity for marital happiness just as Mr. Portman did. Just as Dick Cheney did..

In the same fashion, some people are opposed to medical care for all until their child or elderly parent or other relative has some catastrophic illness.

I am not in favor of a welfare state but I am in favor of helping those in need. I am in favor of loving and helping the down trodden. I am in favor of the people being allowed to love whomever they want and being able to be legally committed to that person.

It is sometimes easy to make judgments about big issues until these big issues become personal issues that affect us or our family.  When the big issues become personal issues sometimes our political views dramatically change.

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