Values in the Shrubbery...People coming out of the voting booths in the "heartland" gave "personal values" as their biggest reason for voting in the shrub. What are these personal values the heartland voted for? Definition of marriage? How is gay marriage threatening to straight people? No one is forcing people into same sex marriages. A few years ago, the best Mother in Barry's class was the gay transvestite uncle. Permitting women a choice? Why are unborn unconscious lumps of cells more important to us than living breathing children living in poverty? Where are the heartland's moral values when we kill 100,000 of our fellow human beings as they sleep, eat, or go about their daily business over in Iraq? Many more people died over there from our war than would have died under Sadam. Then there's our young people over there fighting a useless war. Isn't their life worth more than an unconscious clump of cells? And, how come these people don't come out against the death penalty? People are sitting on death row who were represented by a real estate attorney, or an attorney who fell asleep during their trial. Where are their personal values then? And. how about the 50% of all children in our country who live in poverty? How about those children from families without health care who are living in poverty even though both parents are working? How come those living children don't rate the same priority enjoyed by the unborn? Although I go to Church, attend retreats once a year, and serve as a trustee, I have no illusions that my actions are endorsed by God. I don't even know if there is a God. As an attorney living in New York City I do not have any "personal" values. Here, we just labor away in the darkness, trying to love our neighbor and do good works.