Over the past few weeks I have been a bit miffed by people who question Senator and Vice-Presidential Candidate Joe Lieberman due to his religious affiliation. I admit this part of his life has been publicized more than most. Jewish pride for Senator Lieberman is swelling like a bee sting. Every single commentator and political analyst, whether they like Senator Lieberman or not, says Vice President Gore's nomination of Senator Lieberman for Vice-President is historical. Well, no one ever said we weren't creatures of the media.

President Clinton goes to church. That in itself is a statement that he is religious, or at least trying to be. We never made a big stink about that. Oh, wait, President Clinton goes to a regular church. Senator Lieberman goes to a synagogue (I expect). That makes it different, right?

Not in the slightest. This country has always been a bit, shall I say, strange about nominating, much less electing, a non-Protestant person for office. When John F. Kennedy was nominated for president by the Democrats in 1960, questions to his Catholic faith were brought up. He told the press that he was the Democratic candidate for president, not the Catholic candidate. The church did not speak on political matters for him, and he did not speak for the church. He spoke for the people; the Christian people, the Muslim people, the Hindu people, the Daoist people, the atheist people. Granted he didn't do that great of a job save for the Cuban Missile Crisis and civil rights efforts, but he made an attempt. That's more than most any of us can say.

Senator Lieberman is Vice-President Al Gore's running mate in a democratic (somewhat, at least) nation. This is a nation that has a Constitution and a Bill of Rights, not to mention a First Amendment that separates the church from the state. Yes, there are people who are testing that particular boundary, Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Independents and Libertarians alike. But I don't think Lieberman wants to make all of us worship Yahweh and buy copies of the Talmud and the Kabbalah.

Indeed Senator Lieberman pushed the video game industry to create a rating system so parents can protect their children from violent games. He has also authored the V-Chip law, which offers parents guidance and control of television viewing by their children. These are not actions based on his moral views alone, they are the actions many people of different faiths would take. There are atheists who would do such things.

Forget that he is Jewish. Look at the facts, such as his promotion of peace in Bosnia, China, Cuba and eastern Europe, his strong support for campaign finance reform, and his strengthening of Clean Air standards and the Crime Bill. Look at the facts for every single candidate, whether it be Presidential-nominee Harry Browne of the Libertarians or Governor George W. Bush of the Republicans. Don't rely on conservative-business-owned media alone for your opinions of candidates. Research, Analyze, and, most importantly, Vote.