He was in town to promote his newest book, Six Questions for Socrates: A Modern-Day Journey of Discovery Through World Philosophy. Because I happen to live in Portland, Oregon, a city with a reputation for contemplative people and voracious readers (must be rain), room at Powell's Books was packed. After reading a few pages from his book describing a typical Socratic dialogue, Phillips asked us to consider question, "What is virtue?" and to think about how it might relate to our world today.

Well, "today" happened to be day that President Bush announced his intention to push for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. It was clearly a hot topic in room, and first speaker jumped right in by asking if perhaps we could become a more virtuous society by respecting and supporting a "multiplicity of choices" regarding any loving relationship between two consenting adults.

The hour passed swiftly as many individuals contributed to discussion of tolerance, support, acceptance, common good, well being, and development of our culture.

No matter what you believe about gay marriage, considering its implications is a fascinating process in evaluating and defining our own sense of virtue.

When I was four, my father announced to my mother that he was homosexual. My mother had been raised in Mormon church, only child of two very conservative parents. She told me years later that she'd had to look up word in dictionary to know what he was talking about. It was 1964.

She chose to pack up my two brothers and me and head to Oregon to live with her parents. I grew up hearing from my grandmother that my father was "evil" and that someday I'd learn about horrible things he'd done.

I envisioned him as an axe murderer. I didn't see him for years.

I now have a very friendly relationship with him, and I am pleased to report that he has never killed anyone. In fact, he leads a quiet, happy life of gardening, paying bills, helping others in his community, and being completely dedicated to his partner.

Here is opportunity for which more than half of America has been waiting. America's best hope to dump corporate government and two party stranglehold. A true Independent candidate for millions of Independent voters. Voters who dared not hope for any meaningful change as a result of this November election. A candidate who could win election with just over one third of vote. A candidate who will speak for disaffected and disenfranchised Americans.

Try to imagine a President who will veto every corporate give away Congress passes, for four to eight years. Ralph is a spoiler all right. Not for Democrats who thought electability was all that mattered; but for all of us who have had enough of puppets of corporate money. We know Ralph is no friend of corporate power and this is his main reason for providing America an alternative. Thank you Ralph! America is indebted for your patriotism. You have redefined word for us.

I recently wrote it would be worth a twenty year effort to empower third parties to compete with good buddy, just us, Democans in Washington, D.C. Imagine how an Independent, no party President could advance that cause in four years. Maybe party American people have been catering is nearly over.

Democrats lost White House in 2000, minute their electable candidate called George Bush and conceded a close election, before votes were counted or contested. Because Democrats can't see or appreciate truth that they had backed a quitter, they blamed a Republican court and Ralph Nader for Bush victory. Now they are blaming Ralph for this year's defeat. It is good they can read writing on wall and proclaim it. Maybe having someone to blame is what matters most to Democrats. As long as they are out of power, they have plenty of people to blame. Let's give them what they want.

Democrats are supporting not their best candidate, but one they are guessing can beat George Bush. Anybody but Bush they cry! John Kerry is an anybody - he'll do. He could not defeat President Bush if Ralph Nader did not run.

Ralph Nader just made a Kerry victory impossible and is real and only alternative to our current President(s). The only candidate who can defeat him hem this election. This is precisely because he can split vote three ways, mobilize youth, Independents, non voters and bring people to polls that are fed up with business as usual. That segment of America, over half electorate, can and probably will make Ralph Nader a shoe - in.