Today is the first day of the rest of American life.

"To be a faithful Catholic necessarily means that one is pro-life and not pro-choice... To be pro-choice essentially means supporting the right of a woman to terminate the life of her baby, either pre-born or partially born. No Catholic can claim to be a faithful member of the Church while advocating for, or actively supporting, direct attacks on innocent human life... Some have wondered whether one may vote for a candidate whose stand on abortion and other life issues is contrary to the teaching of the Church if one believes that that candidate has a better position on other issues of importance to Catholics and indeed to our nation (e.g., national security, taxation, job growth, economic policy, etc.).... Proportionate reason does not mean that each issue carries the same moral weight; intrinsically evil acts such as abortion or research on stem cells taken from human embryos cannot be placed on the same level as debates over war or capital punishment, for example. It is simply not possible to serve and promote the common good of our nation by voting for a candidate who, once in office, will do nothing to limit or restrict the deliberate destruction of innocent human life." -- Most Rev Paul S Loverde, Bishop of Arlington, Oct 31 2004

The issue of abortion is, in reality, the perfect "litmus test" of a candidate. It betrays his or her definition of what constitutes a "right."

The murder of innocent human life, whatever one's personal sentiments at the time, whomever one is trying to placate for the sake of political gain, cannot possibly be enshrined as something "inalienable" or "self-evident," as our Founding Fathers would have intended. For a lawmaker to reduce such notions to whatever one feels like doing, regardless of the cost to others, is to confuse "freedom" with "license." Such does not lend itself to the creation of just law, but rather to institutionalized chaos.

An election this close is a sign of a seriously divided and polarized nation. Even the Roman Empire could not stand against such loss of equilibrium.

When you go to the polls today, you will stand alone. Your friends will not stop inviting you to their cocktail parties if you vote for a candidate other than the one whom they want. No Hollywood starlet or nouveau riche recording artist will be there to remind you of the "kewl" thing to do. Only your conscience will be there. Use it to tell you what the right thing to do.

As a wise man once said, "There's no right way to do the wrong thing, so do the right thing."