I'm a Values Voter, Too

The endorsement of Rudy Giuliani by Pat Robertson is cause for brow-furrowing. Who are these "values voters"?

Actually, I think I can answer that, because I'm a values voter, too.

•I value human lives. Not just American lives but Iraqi and Afghani and Iranian and Sudanese and Mexican and all the others, too.

•I value believers and non-believers, and those who are not quite sure.

•I value human dignity. Wages that leave workers impoverished are not dignified. Countries that leave their citizens hungry and homeless are not dignified.

•I value close, supportive relationships. I don't mean just marital or heterosexual or conjugal relationships. I value friends and relatives, mentors and neighbors.

•I value people who care for others who cannot care for themselves. I try to remember that people who sometimes need help are not just the very young or the very old, and they are not just our children or our parents or our partners.

•I value social, political, and economic justice.

•I value my environment. And yours, too.

•I value health care for children. And adults.

•I value nuance and complexity when used to describe issues that are nuanced and complex.

•I value communities and nations that are committed to building on strengths rather than stigmatizing weaknesses and differences.

•I value peace, safety, and security, and I think that education and openness, in this country and around the globe, are among the roads that will take us there.

I'm a values voter, too. And I'm not voting for Rudy.