How Old are We?
I have to admit that in the culture clash between the left and right I’m getting a little tired of hearing terms like Dumbacrat and Republithug and other similarly nasty nicknames given by one side to the other. Somebody actually called me elitist the other day. I work for a living…elite I’m not!!
You know what else I’m not? I’m not dumb and I’m not a thug. I’m not even a Democrat or a Republican for that matter. I am that strangist of beasts...the dreaded Independent. Embraced by nobody, despised yet courted by everybody, I actually use my brain to make my own decisions about issues after I’ve gathered facts and done research. And I allow myself the privilege of changing my mind if get a new piece of evidence or if somebody else’s argument can change my parallax.
Shockingly I don’t follow any party line. I know that’s high treason in politics but there you have it.
Want some examples about where I mix the party lines together and stand on some (arguably important) issues? OK try these…(boy is this gonna piss people on both sides of the fence off).
1. The definition of when life begins is all the rage in the abortion debate. So I have a potential solution. As a society we seem to have generally agreed that death happens when either the brain or the heart or both stop functioning without artifical aid. If someone is brain-dead, we generally accept that person has no quality of life and is in a persistent vegetative state and is, for all practical purposes dead. When the heart stops, it’s pretty obvious that if doctors can't get it started up again and keep it working on it's own, you’re dead. Guess what? In that common understanding is also the definition of life. So I propose that for something to be declared alive it must have a self-sustaining heartbeat OR brain wave activity OR both. If we can define death, it seems logical that the opposite is how we define life. Perfect? That's a matter of subjective opinion. Workable? Oh yes.
2. Also on the subject of abortion, I think abortion should be legal in the case of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger. I certainly could not look a raped woman in the face and tell her she MUST have that baby. The emotional and mental damage would be horrific. I also think that people on welfare who cannot afford to support themselves should have abortions. Part of me thinks that welfare abortions should be mandatory under the logic that if you can’t support yourself and you’re too lazy to use a rubber, I should not be supporting your ass and the asses of the kids you're popping out. BUT, before y’all go nuts, I’m NOT advocating THAT position yet! On the other hand, if you’re not on welfare and get pregnant because one of you were too damn lazy or stupid to use a rubber….tough shit. No abortion for you…this is your fault! Put the child up for adoption if you want but you made your decision, now you get to live with the consequences of being lazy or stupid or both.
3. Gay rights….no such thing. Civil rights is the real question. All citizens of the U.S. should be entitled to exactly the same rights and privileges as every other citizen. Period. That’s it. That’s what the Constitution's intent is under the 14th Amendment and more that that…that’s what’s right and fair. Discussion over. This is not the United Church of America this is the United States of America. Black folk can marry white folk, red folk can marry yellow folk, old folks can marry young folks, everyone can marry the people they love except gay folk. Sorry but that’s wrong and it’s un-American. If you or your church don’t like it, you and you’re your church can leave the country. Go move to China where you don’t have a voice, but don’t come crying to me when the government outlaws your church and takes away your rights.
4. Gun control. Handguns kill people. Hunters can have rifles and shotguns. Nobody needs armor piercing bullets. Nobody needs assault weapons. Nobody needs grenade launchers and bazookas. I’m sorry but if you’re a gun collector you’ll just have to find something else to collect. That may just be the price we need to pay to get crime and murder rates down in this country. I have to admit that I won’t shed a single tear if we ever outlaw handguns. I’ve heard the argument that only the criminals will have guns then. Well that may be true. If that's true than I contend that it’ll be pretty easy to tell who the criminals are. Besides, they have them now so what’s changed? I’m not armed and just because criminals have guns is not enough reason for me to arm myself. In fact, some studies show that if I have gun, I more likely to be shot and killed by an armed criminal. Criminals may not think twice about taking a life....I do.
5. And finally, Homeland Security and National Defense. Do I think we should have a strong military? You betcha. Do I think we should have armor for our soldiers? Yup. Do I think we should be vigilant at our airports and ports? Yes. Do I think we should jump out of our skins and scare everyone half to death every time somebody leaves a salami sandwich in a bag at the airport? No. Do I think we should use a national terror warning system frivolously and with disregard to the public psyche? No. Do I think that we should take away the rights of Americans under the guise of protecting them from terrorists? No. Do I think that government may have a legitimate need to take some rights away for the sake of security? Sure. Do I think there should be a national discussion on what actions and steps the government wants to take to protect us and what exactly the impact on our rights will be? Yes, Absolutely. Do I think the PEOPLE should have the final say? No. (A ha! Gotcha didn’t I?) The “people” are too fickle, often uninformed and very often segment in groups with their own agendas without an eye to the bigger picture.
What I would like to see is recommendations from a small group of men and women say 10 people with backgrounds in intelligence, constitution law, ethics, & terrorism. No politicians, No religious leaders. People who sit down and really think about what sacrifices are fair and can justify their decisions to John and Jane Public.
Pie in the sky? Of course! Neither side would voluntarily give up all that power and control.
So why propose it? Because I’m an Independent Voter. I like thinking outside the box. I don’t blindly follow any party line. I ask real questions. I expect real answers. I use my brain to think for myself. I am the governments’ biggest nightmare and I love to walk up to those in power and go ‘BOO’.
So I ask again...How Old Are We? How about we end the name calling and stop acting like 2-year olds and try to work together to compromise and actually solve the problems? Well, there is that power and control issue I mentioned before huh?
Raven
You know what else I’m not? I’m not dumb and I’m not a thug. I’m not even a Democrat or a Republican for that matter. I am that strangist of beasts...the dreaded Independent. Embraced by nobody, despised yet courted by everybody, I actually use my brain to make my own decisions about issues after I’ve gathered facts and done research. And I allow myself the privilege of changing my mind if get a new piece of evidence or if somebody else’s argument can change my parallax.
Shockingly I don’t follow any party line. I know that’s high treason in politics but there you have it.
Want some examples about where I mix the party lines together and stand on some (arguably important) issues? OK try these…(boy is this gonna piss people on both sides of the fence off).
1. The definition of when life begins is all the rage in the abortion debate. So I have a potential solution. As a society we seem to have generally agreed that death happens when either the brain or the heart or both stop functioning without artifical aid. If someone is brain-dead, we generally accept that person has no quality of life and is in a persistent vegetative state and is, for all practical purposes dead. When the heart stops, it’s pretty obvious that if doctors can't get it started up again and keep it working on it's own, you’re dead. Guess what? In that common understanding is also the definition of life. So I propose that for something to be declared alive it must have a self-sustaining heartbeat OR brain wave activity OR both. If we can define death, it seems logical that the opposite is how we define life. Perfect? That's a matter of subjective opinion. Workable? Oh yes.
2. Also on the subject of abortion, I think abortion should be legal in the case of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger. I certainly could not look a raped woman in the face and tell her she MUST have that baby. The emotional and mental damage would be horrific. I also think that people on welfare who cannot afford to support themselves should have abortions. Part of me thinks that welfare abortions should be mandatory under the logic that if you can’t support yourself and you’re too lazy to use a rubber, I should not be supporting your ass and the asses of the kids you're popping out. BUT, before y’all go nuts, I’m NOT advocating THAT position yet! On the other hand, if you’re not on welfare and get pregnant because one of you were too damn lazy or stupid to use a rubber….tough shit. No abortion for you…this is your fault! Put the child up for adoption if you want but you made your decision, now you get to live with the consequences of being lazy or stupid or both.
3. Gay rights….no such thing. Civil rights is the real question. All citizens of the U.S. should be entitled to exactly the same rights and privileges as every other citizen. Period. That’s it. That’s what the Constitution's intent is under the 14th Amendment and more that that…that’s what’s right and fair. Discussion over. This is not the United Church of America this is the United States of America. Black folk can marry white folk, red folk can marry yellow folk, old folks can marry young folks, everyone can marry the people they love except gay folk. Sorry but that’s wrong and it’s un-American. If you or your church don’t like it, you and you’re your church can leave the country. Go move to China where you don’t have a voice, but don’t come crying to me when the government outlaws your church and takes away your rights.
4. Gun control. Handguns kill people. Hunters can have rifles and shotguns. Nobody needs armor piercing bullets. Nobody needs assault weapons. Nobody needs grenade launchers and bazookas. I’m sorry but if you’re a gun collector you’ll just have to find something else to collect. That may just be the price we need to pay to get crime and murder rates down in this country. I have to admit that I won’t shed a single tear if we ever outlaw handguns. I’ve heard the argument that only the criminals will have guns then. Well that may be true. If that's true than I contend that it’ll be pretty easy to tell who the criminals are. Besides, they have them now so what’s changed? I’m not armed and just because criminals have guns is not enough reason for me to arm myself. In fact, some studies show that if I have gun, I more likely to be shot and killed by an armed criminal. Criminals may not think twice about taking a life....I do.
5. And finally, Homeland Security and National Defense. Do I think we should have a strong military? You betcha. Do I think we should have armor for our soldiers? Yup. Do I think we should be vigilant at our airports and ports? Yes. Do I think we should jump out of our skins and scare everyone half to death every time somebody leaves a salami sandwich in a bag at the airport? No. Do I think we should use a national terror warning system frivolously and with disregard to the public psyche? No. Do I think that we should take away the rights of Americans under the guise of protecting them from terrorists? No. Do I think that government may have a legitimate need to take some rights away for the sake of security? Sure. Do I think there should be a national discussion on what actions and steps the government wants to take to protect us and what exactly the impact on our rights will be? Yes, Absolutely. Do I think the PEOPLE should have the final say? No. (A ha! Gotcha didn’t I?) The “people” are too fickle, often uninformed and very often segment in groups with their own agendas without an eye to the bigger picture.
What I would like to see is recommendations from a small group of men and women say 10 people with backgrounds in intelligence, constitution law, ethics, & terrorism. No politicians, No religious leaders. People who sit down and really think about what sacrifices are fair and can justify their decisions to John and Jane Public.
Pie in the sky? Of course! Neither side would voluntarily give up all that power and control.
So why propose it? Because I’m an Independent Voter. I like thinking outside the box. I don’t blindly follow any party line. I ask real questions. I expect real answers. I use my brain to think for myself. I am the governments’ biggest nightmare and I love to walk up to those in power and go ‘BOO’.
So I ask again...How Old Are We? How about we end the name calling and stop acting like 2-year olds and try to work together to compromise and actually solve the problems? Well, there is that power and control issue I mentioned before huh?
Raven
posted by Anonymous @ Thursday, August 17, 2006
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