Posts tagged Politics
Obama ‘08
Feb 10th
This is why I am now supporting Obama. While every other knucklehead in the race rattles off more of the same status quo crap, one man can deliver something that sounds logical, not like rehearsed, poll-tested spitback. As someone who considers himself spiritual, but attaches no organized religion to his beliefs, I like reading this, especially when an increasing alternative is Mike Huckabee, who is the only candidate who actually makes another 4 years of Bush seem appetizing.
“For one, they need to understand the critical role that the separation of church and state has played in preserving not only our democracy, but the robustness of our religious practice. Folks tend to forget that during our founding, it wasn’t the atheists or the civil libertarians who were the most effective champions of the First Amendment. It was the persecuted minorities, it was Baptists like John Leland who didn’t want the established churches to impose their views on folks who were getting happy out in the fields and teaching the scripture to slaves. It was the forbearers of the evangelicals who were the most adamant about not mingling government with religious, because they did not want state-sponsored religion hindering their ability to practice their faith as they understood it.
Moreover, given the increasing diversity of America’s population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.
And even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would we go with James Dobson’s, or Al Sharpton’s? Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is ok and that eating shellfish is abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount – a passage that is so radical that it’s doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application? So before we get carried away, let’s read our bibles. Folks haven’t been reading their bibles.
This brings me to my second point. Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God’s will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.”
Dear Abby Supports Gay Marriage
Oct 11th
Quite a bit of noise was generated when the beneficiary of the monniker “Dear Abby” announced she supported gay marriage. But for the life of me, I just can’t see why this is an issue for people. What is the big deal?? Who are the people who feel so threated by this prospect that this is an important issue to them?
The divorce rate in the United States is somewhere between 40% and 60%, Wikipedia has a thorough statistic review. Marriage, as a general institution, may in trouble. The family unit may be in trouble. But it’s not because of gay marriage. No, Americans have f’ed this one up all by themselves without the help of the gays.
So why would anyone care at all if two gay people want to commit to each other and enjoy the same tax and governmental benefits? How is this anything but defying the Judeo-Christian “Live and let live” doctrine; how is this anything but boldly defying the “love your neighbor” adage? The world needs more peace, but obviously, those who oppose this on religious grounds feel they are worthy of passing judgement.
Then there are those who oppose it on political grounds. They favor a ban on gay marriage via an amendment that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and thereby excludes gay couples from such a practice. What is the motivation for this? Do we not have enough problems in this once great nation? I just can’t see how you can favor a constitutional ban on gay marriage and claim to be a patriotic American at the same time. Nothing could be more anti-American than intentional discrimination. Remember, that is exactly that from which our forefathers were fleeing! But then, as a nation, we have little respect for the vision the forefathers actually had. In fact, too often it is argued that they meant something other than what they eloquently and laboriously detailed.
Look back at the 18th amendment, which reads
[...] The importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
It seemed like what the United States wanted at the time, but what is perceived as more American in this century than a man enjoying a cold Budweiser? Just a few short years later, we had to alter the constituion of the nation once again just to repeal this crazy knee-jerk amendment. Gay marriage will, in my lifetime, be permitted and seen as normal. It’s inevitable.
It’s foolish of us to think that if we build a discriminitory amendment into the constitution, future generations won’t look back and us and laugh. It’s amazing that there are actually old curmudgeons who care enough, who suggest they feel threatened by gays getting married. I can’t find anything more ridiculous, particularly when Larry Craig and Mark Foley and a host of other elected officials campaign strongly against homosexual rights, only to go home to their gay hooker boyfriend for a good bathroom-stall shagging. I think it’s amazing that there exist bigots like this (read the comments) in this country and that they dare call themselves Christian. If there is indeed an afterlife, they will face their long overdue judgment.
Thank God “Dear Abby” is enlightened. Hopefully, she can change even just one narrow, dogma-fed mind. Too bad there are others who sit in judgment who believe they are qualified to judge their fellow man. So — who are the people who most vocally and actively oppose gay marriage? I’ll tell you who: self-hating closeted homosexual men.
Peace, Love, Tolerance, and Truth
Oct 4th
I stand for peace, love, tolerance, and truth. I stand for science. I stand for nature. I stand for humanity. But have you ever noticed that people who:
- are anti-science
- are anti-gay
- don’t believe in evolution
- don’t believe in global warming
- are anti-stem cell research
- are anti right-to-choose
- believe in forced school prayer
- are pro-war
- believe there is actually a “war on terror”
- disregard separation of church and state as envisioned by the American founding fathers
…tend to be the least tolerant and most narrow-minded people of all? Have you noticed these people are sheep who spout uninformed political nonsense, flock to church and swallow the tripe whole, are perfectly comfortable with genocide anywhere but in the US, and then preach about morality? Can you believe that these people dare to call themselves “patriotic Americans” without bothering to even contemplate what that even means? The founding fathers – brave men who stood for honesty, integrity, truth and liberty – would be ashamed of us.
It’s no surprise these people exist. These people are routinely the least educated in the nation! That’s right, smart people voted for Kerry, and dumb, white, fat Wal-Mart shoppers voted for Bush. Hey, don’t yell at me, this is what the statistics show!
That’s not to say Kerry was a shining star, it’s just to say that the decline of the United States in general can be placed squarely on the shoulders of George W. Bush and his brainless followers, so-called “Christians” who preach war, intolerance, and anti-American initiatives. Oh, and it’s pretty much a sure thing that history books will concur.
Misc Mike Gravel Bits
Oct 1st
Here are some bits on Mike Gravel:
“The only thing worse than one soldier dying in vain is more soldiers dying in vain.”
(On same-sex marriage:) “This country – and this world – needs more love. Love trumps morality, morality trumps politics.”
“Our country needs renewal — not just of particular policies or of people, but of democracy itself.”
he War in Iraq: Immediate and orderly withdrawal of troops followed by aggressive diplomacy
Iran: I firmly oppose a military confrontation with Iran and advocate a diplomatic solution to the current situation.
National Initiative for Democracy: Empower Americans and turn every citizen into a lawmaker by enacting a national initiative.
A Fair Tax: Eliminate the income tax and replace it with a progressive national sales tax.
Global Warming / Climate Change: We must reduce America’s carbon footprint in the world by passing legislation that caps emissions and improve energy efficiency while generating more energy from low-carbon sources.
Universal Healthcare Vouchers: A National Health Care Voucher plan will provide health care for all Americans.
LGBT Rights: I support same-sex marriage and oppose both the Defense of Marriage Act and the military’s ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ legislation.
Prison/Drug Reform: We must de-criminalize minor drug offenses, eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing laws, and increase the use of alternative penalties for nonviolent drug offenders.
Net Neutrality: I support a free and open Internet with no restricted access to any site, for any reason.
My new favorite candidate! Of course, I don’t believe he has a chance in hell of winning, but I will support him as long as he is a candidate. I don’t honestly see a way you can be truly American and support exclusionist politics. Status quo has got to go.
Rush Limbaugh is a Terrorist
Sep 11th
Forgive me, but recently, I happened upon a Rush Limbaugh newsletter whilst in a friend’s house. The particular essay I read was on global warming, and it was so outlandish it deserves to be publically mocked. The crowd Rush caters to is an extremist crowd. They are fed the same nonsense they already subscribe to hook, line, and sinker with no actual debate, they are delivered the same neocon bile that has polluted our country, and they love it. With this discourse, his listeners aren’t educated, they are masturbated; any indication of actual debate, discussion, or learning is a joke designed to ultimately reinforce their original, biblical, neocon belief. Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Anne Coulter: lather, rinse, repeat. All serve the same dish of blind and unchallenged confirmation.
But alas…
Limbaugh’s argument goes something like this: Global warming cannot exist, because God designed Earth and what God designs is perfect. Therefore, man could not be killing the Earth.
Honestly, that’s it. The most anti-science, anti-education nonsense I’ve ever ingested by someone far to bright to be doing so, but more than likely, like L. Ron Hubbard, probably so inflated from his brainless supporters he believes whatever he manifests. It’s honestly stupid – truly dumb. I have to laugh that there are people who fall for this. People may not believe in global warming – that’s another debate – but for these reasons? Puh-lease!
But it goes even further, for reals! He then continues, therefore, it stands to reason that any “liberal” who believes in global warming is doomed to suffer in the flames of Hell. I shit you not, this is what it says. Liberals will burn in hell. And when you are pandering to a ultra-biblical crowd, the crowd who has condemned progress and science and sheepishly believes it anti-Christian to oppose Neo-Conservatism, they lap it up.
There is only one so-called “conservative” who doesn’t make me want to unswallow my breakfast, and that’s Ron Paul. There are far better candidates for me, but at least Paul understands that Neocons have robbed this country of its freedoms and quite literally *everything* that made it great.
Rush Limbaugh is a terrorist. He keeps his audience in fear – fear of what will happen if they should ever trust in a “liberal.” Liberals, who, by the way, oppose only the mounds of restrictions that neocons, you know the ones who believe in “freedom” have implemented to restrict it. That’s dirty anti-American, and deplorable… at best. These are the people who terrorize the USA – not Al Queda. I’m not afraid that Al Quaida is going to attack. I am afraid that nearly all of the freedoms guarateed by the Bill of Rights have been selectively revoked.
If there really was a place where flames burn and people are tortured for eternity, I’d stake my retirement that Rush Limbaugh has a suite small box set aside with his name on it.
I Guess I AM a Liberal
Sep 5th
Over the last few years, a few areas of my politics have become more conservative. I am pro-death penalty. I am anti-welfare. I am pro-personal responsibility. I am for a system that penalizes attorneys who repeatedly present frivolous cases to government funded courts. So I’ve felt an introduction of some libertarianism in my politics.
I have some areas that I am staunchy liberal though: I am pro decriminalization of marijuana and several other drugs, I am pro net neutrality, I am pro choice, and I cannot fathom why gay marriage should be prohibited, let alone introduce discrimination into the constitution. I am also extremely anti-war in the Middle East.
So today I took a political test on vajoe.com to find out which candidate best matches my current beliefs, and lo and behold, I guess I am a very typical democrat. Every Democrat matches me closer than every Republican, and, as I expected, Ron Paul matches me best from the GOP – since he’s barely even a Republican, more of a libertarian himself.
It’s also worth nothing that the “conservative” swing I’ve felt is more of a traditional conservative from the 60’s than the kind we see today. Barry Goldwater would vomit at what passes for a conservative today.
My Oath, Like Your Oath, is To Uphold the Constitution
Jul 12th
This video is fantastic. It shows the blind loyalty of some government folks, as well as the patriotism that has been waylaid in favor of political loyalty. This is a fantastical congressional smackdown. This aide should be ashamed and embarassed, and people should be revolted to see government officials place their political agenda and crony loyalty above serving the United States. There is no such thing as honor here, this is pure manipulation.
Dear Alberto, You Suck, Love, Your Classmates
May 16th
Apparently, several of Attorney General Alberto Gonsales’ distinguished classmates from the Harvard Law class of ‘82 decided to take out an ad in the New York Times to tell him how he’s doing.
PDF of the New York Times. Check the bottom right.
To Alberto Gonzales: “What DO you know?”
May 11th
Fantastic video Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California grilling Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in his congressional hearing:
Gonzales won’t crack, because he can’t crack. Because the minute he does, it will expose corruption in this adminstration that pre-dates 9/11. Corruption that leads up to the very core of the executive branch. Corruption that may or may not expose an all out assault on Middle Eastern controlled oil reserves, government contracts, a bicameral government, indeed American democracy itself.
The Apple iRack
Mar 19th
Posted by Adam S in [...]
Comments
Ah, the joy of humor. What do you get when you combine Apple and Steve Jobs with a little George Bush? Answer: comedy gold!