We are a nation at war - in at least two different places if you don't count the little incursions.
Haiti is exploding a few miles off our southern shores.
Many of us are being forced to choose between food and medicine as we juggle the ever-increasing cost of vital drugs.
Many of our young people cannot afford to buy even a starter home as they branch out on their own.
More and more American jobs are being moved to Singapore and India.
Black Floridians are ready to march on Tallahassee to protest the way they are treated.
And worst of all, the Florida Legislature is about to return to the Capitol for 60 excruciating days of pain.
All of these things are happening. But our president, our Congress, our legislators and all of those who would like to be president, are focused on one issue: gay marriage.
They see it as important enough to actually put it in our Constitution. This would be the group that opposed the Equal Rights Amendment, the last great attempt to write something into the Constitution.
For heaven's sake. Get a grip.
It's weird how all these governments, controlled by Republicans who say they want less government and more individual freedom, are focused on our personal lives: who we live with, how much we weigh and whether we have a right to obtain an abortion.
What they really mean is they want government to stay out of regulating business and force everyone to behave according to their rules.
I have been married to a person of the opposite sex for most of my life, so I don't really have a dog in this fight, but I expect our leaders to concentrate on the real problems.
We are a divided country. Some people support gay marriage. Others don't. Why must one group dominate the lives of the other?
Seems to me we should be able to all get along without telling each other who they should live with and how they must behave.
I was tempted to duck this issue, but the words of Gene Patterson, our former editor, began to haunt me.
He was talking about the civil rights era but the message is the same: Good people allowed a lot of bad things to happen because they did not speak up.
When the people around you start displaying their bigotry, even as jokes, speak up.
We cannot stand idly by and ignore those who would demagogue this issue while they fail to face up to the real problems of our day.
* * *
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd was in the news again this week after he compared his members to sheep. Some of those sheep may turn out to be wolves hiding beneath the lambs' fur.
Until now they have been afraid to criticize him or even vote against him on most issues. This could be a turning point for many of those who have been quietly grumbling behind the scenes.
How timely of him to do this a week before the House convenes so it will be fresh in everyone's mind. One wag suggested Byrd should now be called Little Bo Peep.
And there is an awful lot of baaaaaaing going on in the Capitol. Some of the lobbyists are quietly passing around a video game featuring - what else? - sheep.
We're likely to hear it next from the House floor.
Another distinguished moment in the history of our Legislature.
Stay tuned for more. We are entering into the danger zone - a legislative session is sort of half party, half work and part summer camp.
You'd be amazed at some of the things that occur when grown men and women arrive at the state capital only to be greeted by lobbyists offering all the food and drink they can consume.
