Poltical Rant - digg this
Okay, soapbox time. I don't ordinarily do the political thing here. I've got like maybe ten posts of the 360 (as of this post) on this blog. That's like 2.8%. But I've been seeing things that make me see red (blue? purple?) and this is on both sides. I've heard people say that if you're an X (democrat, libertarian, republican, Whig) then you’re obviously Q (crazy, childish, a hater of America/our troops/girl scouts). If you support Y (McCain, Obama, Paul, George, Ringo) then you don't understand Z (supply side economics, the immigrant problem, how to drum in 8/6 time). This, to say the least, burns my britches.
Look, I'm a democrat. I am going to vote for Obama for president given that option. If Hilary gets the nom, I just don't know. I can't personally vote for her. I'm not gonna hate you if you do. I'm not gonna hate you if you vote for Romney. I don't hate you if you voted for Bush. Heck the woman I married voted for Bush. I love her in spite of anyway. So don't hate on me. Don't treat me like a child or the village idiot. I don't eat babies. Neither do the folks at Fox News or any of the liberal alternatives. We're all people. Hopefully we're all adults. We need to act like it. Especially if we're Christians.
The majority of my brethren disagree with me. I accept that. I think abortion should be legal. I don't think it's moral. I actually think it's something that the states should decide. Using rhetoric like talking about the holocaust isn't helping! It's not convincing anyone. Like it or not we all have to live in the same country. Like it or not politicians need to not only need get along, but ...wait for it... here it comes... WORK TOGETHER. And so do we. That's right, you and I. Disagree with me about anything else I don't see how you can get around that.
And I'm not saying that you shouldn't feel strongly or passionate about what you believe. God knows I do. If I didn't I wouldn't be writing this. Just don't lose perspective that it's not all about you or your freaking idealism. It's about a country. We're supposed to be united on that point. That's the big U word on the front of the name of our country.
Here, just a refresher:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
There's a catchy little song that can help you remember it.
Go watch it. Memorize it. Live it. Do you think the Founding Fathers agreed on everything? I'll help you out here. No. I'll bet they even thought that some of their peers were morons, but they slugged it out. For that matter go read the Declaration of Independence. It's a good read.
Now, understand that the people to the left and of the right of you (figuratively AND literally) are more than likely aware of these documents and love them and what they stand for as much as you do. None of us are going to agree perfectly on just how these things should be lived out/interpreted/etc. In that way it's a little like religion. So I'm guessing what I'm calling for (and desperately hope we are capable of) is some level of love, ecumenism, American brotherhood. That probably sounds a little hokey. I can live with that. It's okay, I'm a big boy.
Let the process work and in the process... don't be an ass. Yeah, that's it. That's what I'm trying to ultimately say. That's a pretty good rule for just about everything. Okay, I feel better now. Rant over. I now return you to your regularly scheduled life.
Edited to add - if you're a Christian and you think less of someone because of how they vote explain to me how that makes you more like Christ and how then politics is not an idol for you.
Total Number of Comments: 9
I hope you don't think I hate you because we disagree. If you don't think abortion is moral, why not? If it involves the deliberate destruction of innocent human life, how can you say that it should be left up to the states?
Hate? No. Pity? Maybe. Your tone suggests it.
I don't think it's moral for the same reasons you don't I would imagine. Life begins at conception. Life is sacred. I think under certain circumstances though it should be allowed. There are plenty of immoral actions that aren't illegal in this country, some even involving the taking of a life.
I don't differentiate between taking a baby's life and taking an adult's life. I don't think Jesus did either. Innocence has little to do with it. I don't believe that a baby is truly innocent even from birth. Oh sure in the eyes of men yes, but when it comes to what mainstream Christianity teaches, no.
And it should be left up to the states because it isn't a Constitutional issue. It was decided by individual states for the majority of our country's history and I think that it should still be that way.
Well, I'm sorry if it came across that way. I certainly didn't intend it so. Perhaps you are projecting?
Anyway, when is it legal to deliberately rob an innocent individual of his or her life? I'm not aware of any such provisions in the law, so I would like to know what it is you are referring to.
Casey,
Scott is not projecting.
To help you understand what a non-patronizing response would look like:
I'm sorry that I came across as patronizing. I didn't intend it.
If abortion is a states rights issue, it begs the question of when it is legal to deliberately take an innocent life. I'm not aware of any such legal provision, which law or laws were you referring to?
It says the same thing without assuming that the person you're talking to is a child.
Two facts.
1. The abortion issue is, and has been for years, a big vote-getter for the Republican party.
1. Seven years of a Republican president with most of those years a Republican majority in Congress and the Supreme Court, did not result in a law forbidding abortions.
These suggest to me that basing your voting preference on the abortion issue is misguided.
I don't really want to turn this into an abortion thread so I'll say two things and that will be that. If you want to get a feel for what I believe regarding the morality of abortion go here. It's not complete and it's not thorough, but it's a start and one day there will be more. It doesn't touch on the legality issues so on that I'll say this. At the present time the state has the right to decide who lives and who dies. Here I am thinking of both abortion and the death penalty, two hot button issues to be sure. I am not against either one being legal. I think both, the way they are currently administered are immoral. I don't think that it's ever moral, strictly speaking, to take human life "innocent" or no. I do think that under extreme circumstances the state sould be able to make the determination regarding the legality of both.
And regarding your attitude Casey, here it hasn't been so bad. On your site your tone comes across as critical and patronizing to those who disagree with you whether the topic is on religion or politics. If you really want your site to be about critical thinking just remember that a) the criticism should be done in a Christ like manner and b) it never hurts to turn a critical eye to your own beliefs and organizations. No human organization is perfect or anywhere near it, be that organization political, religious, or otherwise.
For reference:
"Anyway, when is it legal to deliberately rob an innocent individual of his or her life? I'm not aware of any such provisions in the law, so I would like to know what it is you are referring to."
United States Public Law No: 107-243
Hello Scott,
While I appreciate the sentiment, if you're asking for partisans to be civil, I'm afraid you're in for some disappointment. Political discourse has never been civil and will likely never be. But it sure does feel good to rant now and then, doesn't it.
But going along with the attitude you express, I recall what an elderly Republican once said to me. "If you're not a liberal when you're young, you don't have a heart. If you're not a conservative when you're old, you don't have a brain." Well I was a conservative when I was young and a liberal now. I guess I have neither a brain nor a heart. ;)
Lastly, what do you have against Hillary?
But see I think it can be civil. Civil discourse is possible in matters of politics and religion if one tries. Mainly though I want to hold my brethren's feet to the fire. And yes it's very cleansing...
I have both brain and heart then as the older I get the more conservative I get but there are certain truths I want to cling to and mainly it's those above.
I don't trust her. Granted I don't trust most politicians, but both she and Bill I find particularly untrustworthy. I understand a certain amount of flexibility in beliefs and a certain amount of change over time, but she does seem to blow with the wind and I get a vibe that she'll do whatever it takes to get whatever she wants.