It is campaign season, once again, which means conservatives, will try to paint Democrats as "liberals," as if it were a dirty word. I, for one, am proud to be a liberal and believe we should stand up against these conservative smears.
One of the great fallacies in modern lore is that liberalism stands for nothing and liberals have no core beliefs. The right wing, from the Pope to the President, has impugned the left by unfairly portraying it as a valueless movement mired in moral relativism.
This could not be further from the truth. Indeed, the left is the backbone of freedom, the defender of personal liberty, the guarantor of free speech and religious worship and the nurturer of democratic movements across the globe. Far from believing in nothing, wherever liberal democratic values prevail, civilizations flourish and free people thrive.
The cornerstone of liberalism is the idea that each person is endowed with the precious gift of liberty and can freely choose his or her own path - for better or worse. We believe this is crucial to greater enlightenment, personal growth and ultimate fulfillment. It also offers the best opportunity for people to realize their dreams and achieve their spiritual promise.
Liberalism encourages exploration and education. It reveres science and celebrates the inquisitive mind. Indeed, liberal values are often superior to those held on the right, because they are tenaciously subjected to rigorous examination. Beliefs that are questioned and still prevail are the ones that stand the test of time.
Like conservatism, liberalism has very strong core principles. But unlike conservatism, liberalism is not afraid to question "the way it is." The fulcrum of this philosophy is that all ideas will be constantly examined, scrutinized, studied and debated. If new information emerges to counter the culture's prevailing values or understanding, it will be rightfully taken into account. Far from moral relativism, liberalism searches for the ultimate value in which to build a moral foundation: Truth.
Right wing movements across the globe often seem uninterested in truth if it contradicts their obdurate belief systems. Reality averse, they are woefully unable to adjust to new understandings, burgeoning ideas and cultural awakenings. For example, despite overwhelming evidence that women are the equals of men, they still can't drive or vote in some Muslim countries. In America, gay people are still treated as second-class citizens, even though mountains of science and empirical evidence suggest that homosexuality is as biologically ingrained as eye color or handedness.
Liberals believe in the power of "reason," while conservatives are often just plain reactionary. This is why the GOP is the party of the "southern strategy" and anti-gay subterfuge. Republican power is directly related to fertilizing fear and fomenting fanaticism.
Indeed, the great appeal of modern conservatism, or other forms of authoritarianism, is that people don't have to think for themselves. They can mentally "check out" of this world and place their worries in the hands of a commanding politician or a higher deity.
Modern conservatives are often discomfited by the complexities of life and demand answers to the world's many unanswerable questions. They arrogantly and disingenuously claim to have absolute truth, while liberalism boldly proclaims that it does not have such ubiquitous powers of understanding. Liberalism is for those who are unafraid to fully embrace the magnificent journey of life and tackle the great mysteries of our time.
If one looks at modern conservatism in the United States, it is easy to see that it is a movement of intellectual and spiritual atrophy. In the political realm, conservatives essentially call for judges who are "strict constructionists," which is shorthand for saying "the Constitution is a dead document."
What a monumentally ridiculous notion to put forth, that American jurisprudence has not evolved in more than two centuries! Do strict constructionists believe that women and African Americans should have their rights restricted because the nation’s founders treated women as second-class citizens and owned slaves?
Likewise, modern conservatives have also rendered the Bible (or Koran) "dead documents." In conservative houses of worship, traditionalists put forth the untenable belief that holy books are literal. They call these books "God's Plan," as if the Creator hasn’t had a new thought in a couple of thousand years.
Modern conservatives will claim that liberals are sacrilegious for holding such beliefs. To the contrary, liberals are often extraordinarily religious or spiritual people. However, they diverge with conservatives in that they believe the strongest faith is one that is subject to healthy skepticism and painstaking examination. In encouraging people to explore all faiths -- free of guilt, shame, coercion or fear - liberalism also offers people the greatest number spiritual options.
Many of my columns deal with gay themes because equality for gay men and women is the civil rights issue of the new Millennium. However, gay rights mean nearly as much to heterosexuals as they do for homosexuals. The very peace and prosperity of nations can be easily predicted by looking at how they relate to their gay citizens.
If a country treats gay people with dignity and respect and offers them equality, it signals that the country bases its decisions on sound education, rationalism and science. This inevitably leads towards success in all spheres of life.
Countries that ostracize and penalize homosexuals tend to be superstitious, authoritarian and anti-intellectual. This almost uniformly leads to poverty, war, oppression and ultimately tyranny.
A cynic might argue that the United States is not as gay friendly as other countries, yet, it is the richest country in the world. True, but nearly all of America's cities and states that are centers of profit and creativity offer acceptance for homosexuals. States most hostile to gay people are relatively backwards, with lower levels of education and income. Places that offer acceptance signal that they are open-minded and looking towards the future. Locales that reject homosexuals indicate that they are stuck in the past -- at their own peril.
In essence, gay rights are the canary in the coal mine for freedom and prosperity. Unfortunately, the bird is hacking, signaling a period of increased oppression and a dangerous erosion of freedom. It is up to us to rescue this nation from the perilous path it is now on. It is time we proudly stand up for what we believe in. If we don't defend our values, our opponents will define them.
Progressive does not mean passive. Our compassion does not mean that we lack passion. Our respect for other beliefs does not signify that we don't hold strong beliefs of our own that we are willing to fight for. Indeed, our power comes from out ability to adjust to reality. We are secure in our values, yet humble enough to adapt if our viewpoints are proven obsolete. Wherever liberal democracy takes root, a strong and proud record of economic, moral, social and political achievement follows.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Young Florida Democrats - The State's Progressive Thinkers
Several months ago, before Florida’s Amendment 2 gained enough signatures to be put on the ballot, the Brevard Young Democrats endorsed the Fairness for All Families Campaign, one of the pro-equality groups opposing the so-called “Marriage Protection Amendment.” Now that Amendment 2’s ballot placement is official, our organization has moved to explicitly oppose this discriminatory initiative. At our July 23rd general membership meeting, the Brevard Young Democrats unanimously passed the below resolution:
Resolution Regarding Florida’s Amendment 2 on the 2008 General Election Ballot
Whereas:
Florida’s Amendment 2 discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, and
Whereas:
Discrimination should never be written into the Florida Constitution, and
Whereas:
Similar amendments in other states have led to the revocation of domestic partnership rights for seniors, police, firefighters, and other public employees, and
Whereas:
The rights of both LGBT and straight individuals are threatened by this amendment
Therefore, be it resolved:
The Brevard County Young Democrats does hereby oppose Amendment 2 and encourages its membership and affiliates to vote “NO.”
This Amendment threatens to write discrimination into the Florida Constitution, and is morally reprehensible. As noted in our resolution, similar amendments in others states have stripped seniors and public employees of domestic partnership rights. Amendment 2 is a wholesale government invasion into the private relationships of citizens and must be stopped. For more information you can see this page from the Fairness for all Families Vote No on 2 campaign, or this one from Florida Red and Blue.
Below I’ve compiled a list of the local and state organizations working to oppose Amendment 2:
PFLAG Melbourne:
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends through:
Support, to cope with an adverse society
Education, to enlighten an ill-informed public
Advocacy, to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.
Say No 2 (Florida Red and Blue):
Florida Red and Blue, the statewide bipartisan campaign fighting the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, has launched the Say No 2 campaign, urging voters to Vote No on Amendment 2, which will be on the November ballot. Amendment 2 is also known as the “same sex marriage ban” amendment, but it’s consequences and effects will harm ALL unmarried couples in Florida, whether they’re gay or not.
The message of Say No 2 is simple: Say no to taking away rights, benefits and protections from unmarried couples, especially senior citizens. Say no to eliminating shared health care and pension benefits. Say no to someone else deciding who can visit you in the hospital. And say no to more government intrusion into your private life.
Fairness for All Families (Vote No on 2):
Fairness for All Families is a growing coalition that includes seniors, business leaders, consumer groups and social justice organizations who are joining together to oppose stripping away existing employee benefits while barring the passage of future measures to help Florida families.
Florida ACLU:
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida is freedom’s watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The Space Coast Progressive Alliance has a resource page on state and local GLBT issues and organizations.
Categories: 2008 Elections, Civil Liberties, Gay Rights, General Information
Tags: 2008 Elections, Amendment 2, Brevard Young Democrats, the Hate Amendment
Resolution Regarding Florida’s Amendment 2 on the 2008 General Election Ballot
Whereas:
Florida’s Amendment 2 discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, and
Whereas:
Discrimination should never be written into the Florida Constitution, and
Whereas:
Similar amendments in other states have led to the revocation of domestic partnership rights for seniors, police, firefighters, and other public employees, and
Whereas:
The rights of both LGBT and straight individuals are threatened by this amendment
Therefore, be it resolved:
The Brevard County Young Democrats does hereby oppose Amendment 2 and encourages its membership and affiliates to vote “NO.”
This Amendment threatens to write discrimination into the Florida Constitution, and is morally reprehensible. As noted in our resolution, similar amendments in others states have stripped seniors and public employees of domestic partnership rights. Amendment 2 is a wholesale government invasion into the private relationships of citizens and must be stopped. For more information you can see this page from the Fairness for all Families Vote No on 2 campaign, or this one from Florida Red and Blue.
Below I’ve compiled a list of the local and state organizations working to oppose Amendment 2:
PFLAG Melbourne:
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends through:
Support, to cope with an adverse society
Education, to enlighten an ill-informed public
Advocacy, to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.
Say No 2 (Florida Red and Blue):
Florida Red and Blue, the statewide bipartisan campaign fighting the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, has launched the Say No 2 campaign, urging voters to Vote No on Amendment 2, which will be on the November ballot. Amendment 2 is also known as the “same sex marriage ban” amendment, but it’s consequences and effects will harm ALL unmarried couples in Florida, whether they’re gay or not.
The message of Say No 2 is simple: Say no to taking away rights, benefits and protections from unmarried couples, especially senior citizens. Say no to eliminating shared health care and pension benefits. Say no to someone else deciding who can visit you in the hospital. And say no to more government intrusion into your private life.
Fairness for All Families (Vote No on 2):
Fairness for All Families is a growing coalition that includes seniors, business leaders, consumer groups and social justice organizations who are joining together to oppose stripping away existing employee benefits while barring the passage of future measures to help Florida families.
Florida ACLU:
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida is freedom’s watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The Space Coast Progressive Alliance has a resource page on state and local GLBT issues and organizations.
Categories: 2008 Elections, Civil Liberties, Gay Rights, General Information
Tags: 2008 Elections, Amendment 2, Brevard Young Democrats, the Hate Amendment
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Democrats - Wake Up
“You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things…I come to bury Caesar not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them. The good is oft interr’d within their bones”, Shakespeare (Julius Caesar). This line from Shakespeare’ Julius Caesar can be interpreted in many ways. With the understanding of multiple interpretations of this line from the Barb I would like to give a little advice, sage that I am, to those men and women in Florida who decide to run as Democrats for public office. When you run against Republicans, as we have come to know them, having morphed into some, god only knows, greedy, unconcerned, “let them eat cake”, my God is better than your God groupies, you should not in any way think in terms of decency or integrity, and furthermore have no concern for the United States Constitution. Republicans have no regard for decency and integrity, they just want to win, and that is what your goal should be. Do not hesitate to shower the dirt that you have on your opponent, totally truthful or not. If there is any grain of truth let it rip. You should use the same underhanded, unscrupulous tactics that have given us eight years of war, economic failure, and diminished Constitutional Rights. You should consider the lies of a man running for the Presidency, John McCain, suggesting that he supports the troops but does nothing for Veterans. The evil that that these men have done, that this Republican Administration has used to gain uncontrolled power, the slime that George Bush’s handlers and supporters used to defeat an honorable Veteran, is an abomination. There will be no good “interr’d within their bones”, and this is John McCain’s party of record.
Bart
Bart
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
An Open Letter to Sean Hannity by Candace Chellew-Hodge
A letter to Sean Hannity (in response to the Knoxville shootings) from Rev Candace Chellew-Hodge , the founder and editor of www.whosoever.org .
In sharing her letter with the Whosoever community Candace explained " In light of the shootings at the Unitarian church I have written an
article called "An Open Letter to Sean Hannity." News reports say
Hannity's book along with books by other conservative authors were
found in the shooters home. This is where he got this twisted idea
that "liberals" are to blame for the world's woes.
I know Sean Hannity. I worked with him in Atlanta back in the 90s
right as he hit the big time, so I addressed a letter to him. "
http://religiondispatches.org/Gui/Content.aspx?Page=AR&Id=382#
RDEpistle: Open Letter to Sean Hannity
Candace Chellew-Hodge
"If the Left succeeds in gaining and retaining more power, the well-being of future generations will be at greater peril. I fear (our children) will inherit a nation that is less free and less secure than the nation we inherited from the last generation. It is therefore our job to stop them. Not just debate them, but defeat them." — Sean Hannity
Dear Sean:
I found these words on page 11 of your book Let Freedom Ring. This book, and similar ones from your conservative colleagues Bill O'Reilly and Michael Savage, was found in the home of a man who read those words, internalized those words, and then loaded his shotgun. He took 76 rounds of ammunition with him to a place of worship—a place where he knew he could do his job to stop and defeat some liberals. At the Unitarian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, Jim Adkisson, a fan of yours, killed two people, wounded five others, and left an entire congregation and country shaken by his actions. Actions prompted, as he testified in his own written notes, by the ideas contained in your words.
I don't know if you remember me, Sean, but I worked with you in Atlanta in the early 1990s, right as you got your big break with FOX News. I was an anchor and reporter (under the air name Candace Petersen) at WGST, your last low level stop before hitting the big time. I remember your last night on the air before you left for the big leagues. I approached you in your office, a cramped back room that I'm sure resembles a hovel compared to your FOX digs. I asked if you, during your last show, would tone down your rhetoric against gays and lesbians—stop demonizing our community for just one night. You refused. You explained to me, as if I were a child, that to do so would be to let your audience down. They expected you to go on the air and rant about how liberals, minorities, women and especially gays and lesbians were ruining our country. You simply had to oblige.
Even though you explained it simply, I still didn't understand. Your Girl Friday—your most trusted assistant on your show was a young lesbian. She admired you, for some strange reason, and you two were close friends, lunching together, spending time together outside of work. You didn't seem to have a problem with this particular lesbian. She wasn't the one you kept blaming on the air for the downfall of democracy. No, you had two different lives then—one on the air, where you performed your outraged conservative act and one in real life, where you enjoyed your lesbian friend and seemed like a decent, sane fellow.
I don't know if you've bought into your own shtick or not these days. If you truly believe half of what I could manage to read in your book (thank God the quote I found was in the early pages), I feel sorry for you. I don't know how a person who obviously has no problem with homosexuality in their friends (or used to have no problem, anyway), can rant about how disgusting homosexuality is on pages 156 to 157. (Many thanks to your editors for the index.) I would call you a hypocrite, but if you've become a true believer, I guess the label no longer applies.
I hope you are not too far gone, your conscience too eaten away with greed, to understand the violent and vile object lesson that Mr. Adkisson has provided for us in Tennessee, because it's a lesson you need to learn: Our words matter. Our words have power.
If you tell a child long enough that they are stupid and will never amount to anything, it won't be long before they'll believe that and live up to those words. If you tell the whole population of a country that their woes can be blamed on something called "liberals" who hold different ideas than you do, it won't be long before those "liberals" will become the scapegoat for all social ills. Those words matter—they have power. Adkisson was a true believer.
Your book is rife with paragraphs bashing "the Left"—an enigmatic group of "liberals" painted so broadly that your label for them must be capitalized. These are the people to blame if anything goes wrong in the world. Terrorism? "The Left" didn't hunt down the terrorists before they struck. War? "The Left" didn't do enough to protect us from our enemies and have opposed our military readiness. Job losses? "The Left" taxed the corporations so much they moved overseas.
In your world, and the world you convinced Adkisson of, "the Left" is the bogeyman under the bed. But your book never mentions how the last eight years of Republican leadership has already left our children a nation that is less free, less secure, and as a special bonus, deeply in debt. Republicans are responsible for bankrupting our country, chipping away at our civil rights, sending our monetary and human treasure to waste away and die in the desert, leaving us paranoid and afraid of anyone who may look different, undermining social safety nets like unemployment and food stamps (which Adkisson had recently just lost), and generally making us a more selfish and divided nation. You have done this with your words, Sean—words of division, words of hate, words of war, and words of greed.
The sad irony here, Sean, is that if Mr. Adkisson had gone to that Unitarian church and told them he was out of a job and his food stamps had just ended, they would have helped him. They would have fed them from their food pantry and used their network of friends to help find him a job. Not because they're liberal socialists, but because they understand that it's not "us" against "them." Instead, what made this country great is that we pull together in times of crisis—we bear one another's burdens and put aside our differences in order to be of service to one another. They would have reached out to Mr. Adkisson without asking him if he was Democrat or a Republican or a liberal or a conservative. Labels don't matter when someone is in need—or they shouldn't.
But, Mr. Adkisson did not know that about the Unitarian church. You didn't tell him liberals could help him. You only told him they're to blame for his misfortune. His mind had already been poisoned by the words of hatred and division from you book. He saw the Unitarians down the road, not as fellow human beings who would generously help him in his time of need, but as enemies—the very reason his world had gone to hell. His job, since he had no other because of a bad economy created by Republican policies, was "to stop them. Not to debate them, but defeat them." And so he loaded a gun.
Sean, you occupy a position of power. All words have power, but some words are more powerful than others simply because they are amplified from a larger stage. With power comes responsibility. If there is any of that old Sean left—the one before the big office, the popular TV and radio show and best selling books—I appeal to that man. Understand the power of your words. I know that words of division are profit-making words for you. We human beings apparently love to see a good fight, or feel our views justified by a good argument. But I hope this incident will give you pause and help you begin to choose your words more wisely. I hope, in choosing future words, you'll consider not what's best for the Hannity bank account, but what's best for humanity.
I long for the day when profitable words are words that uplift, encourage, and inspire people. The strength of this nation has always been our unity in diversity and our unity in the face of adversity. By using your words to create a world of "us" and "them" you only perpetuate violence and discord in our society. I am asking you, Sean, to examine yourself and your words. You don't have to agree with liberals and their views, but you can oppose liberal ideas without painting those who hold those beliefs as enemies who need to be stopped or defeated. If conservative ideas are truly superior, then a compelling case can be made for them without resorting to the politics of personal destruction.
Sean, your words have the power to heal and the power to destroy. The choice is yours.
Sincerely,
Candace Chellew-Hodge
In sharing her letter with the Whosoever community Candace explained " In light of the shootings at the Unitarian church I have written an
article called "An Open Letter to Sean Hannity." News reports say
Hannity's book along with books by other conservative authors were
found in the shooters home. This is where he got this twisted idea
that "liberals" are to blame for the world's woes.
I know Sean Hannity. I worked with him in Atlanta back in the 90s
right as he hit the big time, so I addressed a letter to him. "
http://religiondispatches.org/Gui/Content.aspx?Page=AR&Id=382#
RDEpistle: Open Letter to Sean Hannity
Candace Chellew-Hodge
"If the Left succeeds in gaining and retaining more power, the well-being of future generations will be at greater peril. I fear (our children) will inherit a nation that is less free and less secure than the nation we inherited from the last generation. It is therefore our job to stop them. Not just debate them, but defeat them." — Sean Hannity
Dear Sean:
I found these words on page 11 of your book Let Freedom Ring. This book, and similar ones from your conservative colleagues Bill O'Reilly and Michael Savage, was found in the home of a man who read those words, internalized those words, and then loaded his shotgun. He took 76 rounds of ammunition with him to a place of worship—a place where he knew he could do his job to stop and defeat some liberals. At the Unitarian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, Jim Adkisson, a fan of yours, killed two people, wounded five others, and left an entire congregation and country shaken by his actions. Actions prompted, as he testified in his own written notes, by the ideas contained in your words.
I don't know if you remember me, Sean, but I worked with you in Atlanta in the early 1990s, right as you got your big break with FOX News. I was an anchor and reporter (under the air name Candace Petersen) at WGST, your last low level stop before hitting the big time. I remember your last night on the air before you left for the big leagues. I approached you in your office, a cramped back room that I'm sure resembles a hovel compared to your FOX digs. I asked if you, during your last show, would tone down your rhetoric against gays and lesbians—stop demonizing our community for just one night. You refused. You explained to me, as if I were a child, that to do so would be to let your audience down. They expected you to go on the air and rant about how liberals, minorities, women and especially gays and lesbians were ruining our country. You simply had to oblige.
Even though you explained it simply, I still didn't understand. Your Girl Friday—your most trusted assistant on your show was a young lesbian. She admired you, for some strange reason, and you two were close friends, lunching together, spending time together outside of work. You didn't seem to have a problem with this particular lesbian. She wasn't the one you kept blaming on the air for the downfall of democracy. No, you had two different lives then—one on the air, where you performed your outraged conservative act and one in real life, where you enjoyed your lesbian friend and seemed like a decent, sane fellow.
I don't know if you've bought into your own shtick or not these days. If you truly believe half of what I could manage to read in your book (thank God the quote I found was in the early pages), I feel sorry for you. I don't know how a person who obviously has no problem with homosexuality in their friends (or used to have no problem, anyway), can rant about how disgusting homosexuality is on pages 156 to 157. (Many thanks to your editors for the index.) I would call you a hypocrite, but if you've become a true believer, I guess the label no longer applies.
I hope you are not too far gone, your conscience too eaten away with greed, to understand the violent and vile object lesson that Mr. Adkisson has provided for us in Tennessee, because it's a lesson you need to learn: Our words matter. Our words have power.
If you tell a child long enough that they are stupid and will never amount to anything, it won't be long before they'll believe that and live up to those words. If you tell the whole population of a country that their woes can be blamed on something called "liberals" who hold different ideas than you do, it won't be long before those "liberals" will become the scapegoat for all social ills. Those words matter—they have power. Adkisson was a true believer.
Your book is rife with paragraphs bashing "the Left"—an enigmatic group of "liberals" painted so broadly that your label for them must be capitalized. These are the people to blame if anything goes wrong in the world. Terrorism? "The Left" didn't hunt down the terrorists before they struck. War? "The Left" didn't do enough to protect us from our enemies and have opposed our military readiness. Job losses? "The Left" taxed the corporations so much they moved overseas.
In your world, and the world you convinced Adkisson of, "the Left" is the bogeyman under the bed. But your book never mentions how the last eight years of Republican leadership has already left our children a nation that is less free, less secure, and as a special bonus, deeply in debt. Republicans are responsible for bankrupting our country, chipping away at our civil rights, sending our monetary and human treasure to waste away and die in the desert, leaving us paranoid and afraid of anyone who may look different, undermining social safety nets like unemployment and food stamps (which Adkisson had recently just lost), and generally making us a more selfish and divided nation. You have done this with your words, Sean—words of division, words of hate, words of war, and words of greed.
The sad irony here, Sean, is that if Mr. Adkisson had gone to that Unitarian church and told them he was out of a job and his food stamps had just ended, they would have helped him. They would have fed them from their food pantry and used their network of friends to help find him a job. Not because they're liberal socialists, but because they understand that it's not "us" against "them." Instead, what made this country great is that we pull together in times of crisis—we bear one another's burdens and put aside our differences in order to be of service to one another. They would have reached out to Mr. Adkisson without asking him if he was Democrat or a Republican or a liberal or a conservative. Labels don't matter when someone is in need—or they shouldn't.
But, Mr. Adkisson did not know that about the Unitarian church. You didn't tell him liberals could help him. You only told him they're to blame for his misfortune. His mind had already been poisoned by the words of hatred and division from you book. He saw the Unitarians down the road, not as fellow human beings who would generously help him in his time of need, but as enemies—the very reason his world had gone to hell. His job, since he had no other because of a bad economy created by Republican policies, was "to stop them. Not to debate them, but defeat them." And so he loaded a gun.
Sean, you occupy a position of power. All words have power, but some words are more powerful than others simply because they are amplified from a larger stage. With power comes responsibility. If there is any of that old Sean left—the one before the big office, the popular TV and radio show and best selling books—I appeal to that man. Understand the power of your words. I know that words of division are profit-making words for you. We human beings apparently love to see a good fight, or feel our views justified by a good argument. But I hope this incident will give you pause and help you begin to choose your words more wisely. I hope, in choosing future words, you'll consider not what's best for the Hannity bank account, but what's best for humanity.
I long for the day when profitable words are words that uplift, encourage, and inspire people. The strength of this nation has always been our unity in diversity and our unity in the face of adversity. By using your words to create a world of "us" and "them" you only perpetuate violence and discord in our society. I am asking you, Sean, to examine yourself and your words. You don't have to agree with liberals and their views, but you can oppose liberal ideas without painting those who hold those beliefs as enemies who need to be stopped or defeated. If conservative ideas are truly superior, then a compelling case can be made for them without resorting to the politics of personal destruction.
Sean, your words have the power to heal and the power to destroy. The choice is yours.
Sincerely,
Candace Chellew-Hodge
Monday, July 28, 2008
Gay Republicans? Say What?
For years I have been trying to describe Gay and Lesbian folks who vote Republican. Finally an Arizona state Representative Kyrsten Sinema put it in focus for me when she recently said “It’s kind of like being a deer and joining the NRA. Because come hunting season, they’re going to shoot you”. Indeed they will.
I understood being Gay and Republican, the “Big Tent” thingy, before the Republican Party decided to enter our bedrooms and started preaching that Jesus was offended by gays, as if Karl Rove, George Bush and John McCain have a full comprehension of what Jesus thinks. Jesus to Republicans is a means to an end, the end being, win elections at any cost, including their “immortal souls”. Democrats who believe in the Word of Jesus believe it to be a life style, feed the hungry, heal the sick, shelter the homeless and most of all love one another, pretty simple stuff.
I almost understood being gay and Republican when I thought about Republicans touting “fiscal responsibility”, but that certainly has gone down the tubes.
I thought well maybe Republicans are good for the security of our National Defense and that some gay people are afraid that the Mullahs will come here and start hanging Gays as they so in Iran. Hence, I started checking out the Military history of Republicans and realized that the best they could do is send some other persons kids to fight their “Republican Wars”.
I am convinced that Gay men and women, probably more men than women, who vote Republican are suffering from a “me too” syndrome. They want to be the model that Republicans seem to project, sort of like so many women want to be that skinny model that “Fashion” projects . They want to be really rich, they want to be “different” from Gay People yet have all the benefits of being gay, but in a closet.
The bottom line, in my mind, about Gays voting for Republicans is that they are ashamed of who they are and are desperately wanting to be something different, something they will never be. For sure a sad commentary about their lives.
Bart
I understood being Gay and Republican, the “Big Tent” thingy, before the Republican Party decided to enter our bedrooms and started preaching that Jesus was offended by gays, as if Karl Rove, George Bush and John McCain have a full comprehension of what Jesus thinks. Jesus to Republicans is a means to an end, the end being, win elections at any cost, including their “immortal souls”. Democrats who believe in the Word of Jesus believe it to be a life style, feed the hungry, heal the sick, shelter the homeless and most of all love one another, pretty simple stuff.
I almost understood being gay and Republican when I thought about Republicans touting “fiscal responsibility”, but that certainly has gone down the tubes.
I thought well maybe Republicans are good for the security of our National Defense and that some gay people are afraid that the Mullahs will come here and start hanging Gays as they so in Iran. Hence, I started checking out the Military history of Republicans and realized that the best they could do is send some other persons kids to fight their “Republican Wars”.
I am convinced that Gay men and women, probably more men than women, who vote Republican are suffering from a “me too” syndrome. They want to be the model that Republicans seem to project, sort of like so many women want to be that skinny model that “Fashion” projects . They want to be really rich, they want to be “different” from Gay People yet have all the benefits of being gay, but in a closet.
The bottom line, in my mind, about Gays voting for Republicans is that they are ashamed of who they are and are desperately wanting to be something different, something they will never be. For sure a sad commentary about their lives.
Bart
Monday, July 7, 2008
3 Facts That Could Change This Election
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6430781
3 Facts That Could Change This Election (If We Share Them With Enough People)
Here are 3 Stunning facts that could not only change the outcome of this election, but with regard to the first two points, they could change the results of every election for years to come *if* we make enough people aware of them.
I want to keep this as simple and short as possible, so that the people who need to read this actually do. And again, I encourage you to share this information with as many people as you can, either by recommending and commenting on this thread, by emailing these points out and or by posting a link to this thread on the appropriate websites.
1)-Over 70% of our National Debt was created by just 3 Republican presidents.
Go ahead, get out your calculator and add up debt by president/party. Apparently the party that claims fiscally responsibility thinks it's ok to borrow massive amounts of money from foreign countries like China. Consider that we spend hundreds of billions of dollars in interest payments on this debt each year. That means more and more of your hard earned money is going to make interest only payments on what is basically a Giant National Credit Card. Not to mention the fact our debt/deficits are largely behind the weakness of our dollar, which in turns makes gas more expensive and creates other serious problems.
If you want to learn more about the National Debt, check out these links:
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock /
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...
http://zfacts.com/p/447.html (A running clock with the cost of the war)
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/business...
2)-According to new research from Larry Bartels out of Princeton, real middle class wage growth is double when a Democrat is president compared to when a Republican is president.
"...Even more remarkable, the real incomes of working-poor families...grew six times as fast when Democrats held the White House. Only the incomes of affluent families were relatively impervious to partisan politics, growing robustly under Democrats and Republicans alike...": http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/magazine/27wwln-ideal...
Here is a short summary of this research: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008...
And here is a good, short audio interview with Larry Bartels: http://youngturks.wmod.llnwd.net/a591/o1/4-25-08Bartels...
3)-90% of Americans would pay less taxes under Obama's proposed tax plan compared to McCain's.
This is according to the non-partisan Tax Policy Institute as reported by CNN:http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/11/news/economy/candidates...
People making under $112,000 a year in individual (not household) income would pay less taxes under Obama's plan.
By contrast, John McCain's tax cuts mostly benefit the top 10% of Americans. Under McCain's plan, people making over 2.9 million dollars in individual annual income would get almost a million dollar tax break.
Conclusion: Countless millions of Americans vote Republican because they believe they'll pay less taxes and that they'll have their money spent more responsibly. As you can see, those beliefs are directly contradicted by the facts. Of course we can choose to ignore the facts and instead focus on which candidate is wearing a flag pin (you ever notice that Hillary and McCain don't wear them? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi5nbZvS9cg ) but I think we're a smarter country than that.
PS---If you're not sure how to respond to those laughably bad, factually inaccurate anti-Obama smear emails and or you want more information on John McCain, here is a nice resource guide of articles, videos and commentary:http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
3 Facts That Could Change This Election (If We Share Them With Enough People)
Here are 3 Stunning facts that could not only change the outcome of this election, but with regard to the first two points, they could change the results of every election for years to come *if* we make enough people aware of them.
I want to keep this as simple and short as possible, so that the people who need to read this actually do. And again, I encourage you to share this information with as many people as you can, either by recommending and commenting on this thread, by emailing these points out and or by posting a link to this thread on the appropriate websites.
1)-Over 70% of our National Debt was created by just 3 Republican presidents.
Go ahead, get out your calculator and add up debt by president/party. Apparently the party that claims fiscally responsibility thinks it's ok to borrow massive amounts of money from foreign countries like China. Consider that we spend hundreds of billions of dollars in interest payments on this debt each year. That means more and more of your hard earned money is going to make interest only payments on what is basically a Giant National Credit Card. Not to mention the fact our debt/deficits are largely behind the weakness of our dollar, which in turns makes gas more expensive and creates other serious problems.
If you want to learn more about the National Debt, check out these links:
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock /
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...
http://zfacts.com/p/447.html (A running clock with the cost of the war)
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/business...
2)-According to new research from Larry Bartels out of Princeton, real middle class wage growth is double when a Democrat is president compared to when a Republican is president.
"...Even more remarkable, the real incomes of working-poor families...grew six times as fast when Democrats held the White House. Only the incomes of affluent families were relatively impervious to partisan politics, growing robustly under Democrats and Republicans alike...": http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/magazine/27wwln-ideal...
Here is a short summary of this research: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008...
And here is a good, short audio interview with Larry Bartels: http://youngturks.wmod.llnwd.net/a591/o1/4-25-08Bartels...
3)-90% of Americans would pay less taxes under Obama's proposed tax plan compared to McCain's.
This is according to the non-partisan Tax Policy Institute as reported by CNN:http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/11/news/economy/candidates...
People making under $112,000 a year in individual (not household) income would pay less taxes under Obama's plan.
By contrast, John McCain's tax cuts mostly benefit the top 10% of Americans. Under McCain's plan, people making over 2.9 million dollars in individual annual income would get almost a million dollar tax break.
Conclusion: Countless millions of Americans vote Republican because they believe they'll pay less taxes and that they'll have their money spent more responsibly. As you can see, those beliefs are directly contradicted by the facts. Of course we can choose to ignore the facts and instead focus on which candidate is wearing a flag pin (you ever notice that Hillary and McCain don't wear them? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi5nbZvS9cg ) but I think we're a smarter country than that.
PS---If you're not sure how to respond to those laughably bad, factually inaccurate anti-Obama smear emails and or you want more information on John McCain, here is a nice resource guide of articles, videos and commentary:http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
Friday, July 4, 2008
Whose Freedom are we talking about? And Free to do what?
As we celebrate our Independence I am sure that all Americans will remember those who have secured our freedoms. The most recent are the unnamed and hidden from the public men and women who have died on the premise that invading Iraq was an effort to secure our freedom and spread “democracy”.
I suppose a convoluted logician may think that to be true if indeed one believes that securing the oil fields of the Middle East secures our freedom. Securing those fields may secure our economy, but does it secure our freedoms, at what price and who pays the price?
A couple of years ago I understood that the war in Iraq was going to cost this nation over a trillion dollars. The current direct cost of the war is a little under a trillion dollars but the indirect cost, veterans care and the demise of our own national infrastructure is well over a trillion dollars.
Sadly the real cost of the war is the human cost, not just the soldiers who have been killed, hidden from the public but the severely wounded, also hidden, and the tragic toll that this Republican war of convenience for the really wealthy in America has taken on our military families. Our Soldiers are sent over and over again into a god forsaken experience and their family members are forced to suffer years of constant worry.
I know that the families of our military personnel will be steadfast and keep their heads up high and always proud of the sacrifices they, their spouses, their children and their parents have made. Unfortunately the bottom line in this so called war, this hidden war, is that no one other than our military and their families know the real pain yet others are profiting from their pain.
Bart
I suppose a convoluted logician may think that to be true if indeed one believes that securing the oil fields of the Middle East secures our freedom. Securing those fields may secure our economy, but does it secure our freedoms, at what price and who pays the price?
A couple of years ago I understood that the war in Iraq was going to cost this nation over a trillion dollars. The current direct cost of the war is a little under a trillion dollars but the indirect cost, veterans care and the demise of our own national infrastructure is well over a trillion dollars.
Sadly the real cost of the war is the human cost, not just the soldiers who have been killed, hidden from the public but the severely wounded, also hidden, and the tragic toll that this Republican war of convenience for the really wealthy in America has taken on our military families. Our Soldiers are sent over and over again into a god forsaken experience and their family members are forced to suffer years of constant worry.
I know that the families of our military personnel will be steadfast and keep their heads up high and always proud of the sacrifices they, their spouses, their children and their parents have made. Unfortunately the bottom line in this so called war, this hidden war, is that no one other than our military and their families know the real pain yet others are profiting from their pain.
Bart
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