Let me just start by saying I hate politics.

But not for all the usual reasons.

Well, for all the usual reasons, but for more reasons than the usual reasons.  I live in Mississippi, so I had to vote today in a general election.  Not only do I feel uninformed despite my attempt to get informed via the internets, I also feel overwhelmed.  Every issue is so complicated, and every little word, or lack thereof, is so important that it feels impossible to vote with any confidence.

In case I’ve lost you, let me back up.  My state is voting on a cute little amendment today called Amendment 26.  There are emotionally inflamed voters on both sides of the issue at hand, blowing things out of proportion and over analyzing the proposal, scaring us voters into complete immobilization.

A month ago, before I had even heard of this amendment, if the subject of the amendment had come up in a casual conversation between friends, here is what would’ve transpired:

Friend: Hey, when do you think life begins?

Me: At conception.  That’s pretty clear in the Bible.

Friend: Yeah.  So how has your week been?

And that would’ve been it!  But put that SAME QUESTION into an amendment, and, all of a sudden, we assume the fetal position and stick our thumbs in our mouths.

Why?

Fear.

What are we scared of?

A lot of stuff that this amendment is NOT addressing.  We’ve taken a simple question – when does life begin – and we’ve turned it into an issue that it ISN’T.  We are simply voting on the definition of life, NOT all of the implications for future laws concerning life.  THAT bill will be 500 pages long, drafted and voted upon by our elected officials.  The in’s and out’s of what should be legal and what shouldn’t as a result of life beginning at conception is another matter entirely.  Those in’s and out’s are NOT AT ALL what today’s vote is about.

Over analyzing.  That’s what has gotten us here.

Today, Mississippians are being asked a very simple question – does life begin at conception?  If you believe it does, you vote yes.  If you believe it doesn’t, you vote no.  That’s it!  That’s all that we’re talking about today.

If you say, “Yes, I believe life begins at conception, but I vote no on this amendment because…”, you’ve missed your chance to defend that life begins at conception.  To vote no on this amendment is to say, “No, I do not believe life begins at conception,” because THAT IS THE ONLY THING WE ARE VOTING ON TODAY.

I hate politics.

We can’t even figure out what we’re voting on.

In the words of Bubble Guppies, “Frustration!”