Our Vice President has called the Republican Ohio Governor’s opposition offered as a voice of conscience protesting a cruel political add  a “whine”.  This, from a Catholic man who presumably aspires to be a Christian.  To understand the contradiction of our Vice President’s words one has to ask:  “from where does the voice of conscience come from?”  This writer has to answer:  ” not far from the voice of the Vice President’s Catholic God”.

We have a conscience because not everything we say and do in this troublesome world is good or kind.  In fact, some of what we imperfect human beings say and do is simply appalling.  For our Vice President and President to approve and promote  a  political add that trash talks an opposing candidate using an estranged mother, star struck by the attention offered by overwhelming power, demonstrates sociopathy at a graphic level.  Sociopathy is not uncommon in our culture, but in the offices of government it is lethal and unacceptable.

Modest Proposal for Good

In the current generations we tend to treat conscience as a brand of unhealthy guilt and therefore not credible.  This project suggests, while sometimes that might be true, more often than not our conscience has something important to import.  Cruelty is rampant in the United States government right now.  My conscience is firm with me there is enough pain in this world without resorting to cruelty to create more pain.  This writer has at times in life been cruel and regrets it.  Cruelty can be dark form of creativity, but when applied unrepented, cruelty is simply evil.  We are not an evil or cruel nation.  We need to listen with courage and respond to our consciences to track good and make good decisions.  That will be good at the polls. Whatever you believe or don’t believe about a God, God’s don’t whine.