European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 10, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 2007 stars and stripes Mideast edition Page 13 opinion some gaffes others get us to thinking Gaffe is a word that sounds like what it some thing hard and Sharp that can Snag you like a which was what it originally referred now it refers to a bad Jay Ambrose an obvious mis As in what you get with Harry Mitt Romney and John the War in Iraq is that was reids assess ment in a meeting with president and then again in a session with you immediately conclude that it is Reid who is Washington is a big with a Maze of difficult is and Here is a Man with no evident sense of its not As previous to this Tongue Fum the democratic senator from Nevada has managed language with he once called the Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan a Hack and Bush a liar and a and it is not As if Reid is a congressional he is Senate majority a key player in our National the Nam calling is Boorish and Lowers the level of debate to something unworthy of the which is but not so bad As the remark on the which is a morale boost to enemies and a morale Downer to troops in harms next comes Republican Candi Date for former governor of Massachusetts and someone whose recent re Mark about his vast experience As a Hunter was As True As the Frontier brag of being Able to run dive stay under longer and come out than any Chap this Side of the big the difference Between that piece of Folk lore and Romney Gaffe i purchased a gun when i was a Young Ive been a Hunter pretty much All my life is that Romney was a lot less colourful and figured his listeners would take his words As some thing other than obvious the facts Are that Romney has been Hunting once As a teenager and then again a year Romney graduated at the very top of his College class and in the top 5 percent of his Harvard business school class when he picked up a simultaneous Law degree and masters in business his feats include saving the 2002 Winter olym pics in Salt Lake City from threatening Bank you would that even if honesty does not Appeal to him on its own Romney would be smart enough to know that anything he says on the Campaign Trail will be checked for accuracy by the National press and that people who Are Hunters dont really care if a politician they just want to know the politician wont snatch away their our final Gaffe perpetrator is another presidential this one a Democrat and former senator from North de who recently paid for a thereby for one that he does not know the value of a and for that he is vain to the Point of absurd id never make it As one of those highly paid consultants meant to keep political candidates ahead in the but if i had been on his staff when Edwards was contemplating this expensive adventure with i would have taken him aside and said some thing like this old i cant think of anything Short of a Don Imus moment that will Hurt you More than spending that much on your Ordinary americans just wont get and it will undercut your con Stant claim of Solidarity with folks Strug gling walk into a Barbershop in some Middle class wait your turn for the Barbers Chat with the other customers if you leave looking like Al Fred dont you the publicity will be great in a couple of your hair will grow out and you can try a Gaffe can be a onetime signify ing most of us have been we All make but gaffes can also Point to Core something abiding in an individuals something Central to what you can expect of part of the Public Job in a democracy is to figure out if that the Jay formerly Washington director of editorial policy for Scripps Howard is a columnist living in punishment is Only for bad not for ideas Jill Labbe hate is too heavy a Burden to John Lewis of Georgia proclaimed last thursday on the House we Are All one one if this is True that All americans Are one one family How can Lewis and so Many of his congressional colleagues sup port hat crime legis lation that treats some family members differently than others in a 237180 vote last the House approved a Bill that would expand fed eral hat crime categories to include Vio Lent attacks against homosexuals and peo ple targeted because of House Bill 1592 also would make it easier for Federal Law enforcement to assist local prosecutors in investigating and trying Bias motivated a similar Bill is working its Way through the the White House is up presi Dent Bush veto threat with a sound argument state and local criminal Laws Al ready cover the crimes defined under the and there is no persuasive demonstration of any need to federalize such a potentially Large Range of violent crime enforce ment discrimination against a person because of sexual orientation or physical disabilities is no argument to deny someone the Opportunity to fully engage in civic society based on any of those criteria is and that includes government benefits conferred on married when the ques Tion is civil the nations democratic foundations of fairness and equal Protection Are shaken if one sector of society is treated differently from the at the same to enhance penalties or to step up prosecution efforts because the victim of a crime is a member of a protected class is a a protected class is enhance penalties or to step up prosecution efforts because the victim of a crime is a member of life is a life is a life one is not Worth any More or any less than yet supporters of unequal Justice continue to push for assigning value to victims As if some Are Worth More to this is inconceivable to anyone who holds a Sliver of belief in equal under the lets suspend the dead de Bate my son be any less dead if he were shot during a robbery than your who was shot because Hes and focus on the whole notion of needing additional Laws to address crimes motivated by hate in it self is not a its ugly and should be abhorred in civil but there is no constitutional provision that says everyone has to like everyone there a Clear constitutional mandate in the 14th amendment that says shall any state deny any person of or without due pro Cess nor deny any person within its Juris diction the equal Protection of the More than one Democrat speaking on the floor last thursday cited support for this legislation As a Way to make up for historically unequal enforcement of the but failings on that front dont justify enact ing blatantly partial in a just punishment is exacted for aberrant not for the idea that motivated although motive might explain the be it should in no Way make the prose cution More aggressive or the punishment worse any More than it should excuse the As Mary fallin of Oklahoma said last the violence produced by hate is already Jill Labbe is Deputy editorial Page editor of the fort Worth Texas prickly City by Scott Stantis Cut Wal going wit