What with the shit-storm that has occurred over Sen. Todd Akin's comments via abortion, you'd think this blog would be about that. But it's not. I could say all manner of intelligent, thought-out, factually true arguments about being pro-choice (and NOT pro-abortion) but honestly, no one has ever managed to change anyone's mind politically unless they themselves are forced to live through the consequences of their beliefs. There have been many women who were "pro-life"- heretofore referred to as the more accurate "anti-abortion"- who have become pro-choice after going through a situation themselves. The reverse is also true. However, the point comes down to this, as it does for all contentious matters- one side bases their beliefs on their own ambiguous moral fiber, facts and science be damned, while the other simply wants everyone to leave them the hell alone.
So what I want to talk about is this notion of "freedom". I've heard that word a lot this year, being an election year, along with "Constitutional rights" and various other tripe. But I honestly don't think most people even understand the freaking concept. Conservatives and libertarians want (or claim they want) a smaller government, or a government that doesn't interfere with their lives, or their beliefs. We have the right to free speech, they say. We have the right to religious freedom, they say. No president should force us to do anything we don't want to do, damn it, because this is a FREE COUNTRY, they say.
The hell it is.
As far as they are concerned, we have the right to free speech- as long as we're saying what they want to hear. We have the right to religious freedom- as long as it's their religion. No president should be able to force THEM to do what they don't want to do, but they have every right to legislate their beliefs-because apparently they are the self-appointed guardians to our morality. If this were a free country, then gay marriage would be legal. If this was a free country, the Republicans could never try to pass legislation that would outlaw abortion. If we had religious freedom, then no one religion could ever take precedence over another- including the lack of one.
The case of the ex Marine who was making borderline terrorist remarks that resembled the ones Ted Nugent made that got ordered into psychological evaluation- his 1st Amendment rights are being violated. The current "regime" hates the Constitution. Except if the same thing happened in 2001, when Bush was in office, that Marine would have been labeled unpatriotic and they would be just fine with the detainment. Free speech does not mean you have the right to say whatever the hell you want. I am of course for any one protesting the government- as long as what they say isn't violent. This Marine was taken in- not arrested, not facing criminal charges- because he made comments that were violent towards the government. That cannot be protected, no matter who says it. Ted Nugent should have gotten the same treatment, and I'm pissed he didn't. We live in a scary time. The shooter at Fort Hood was called a terrorist because he was an American who was also of Palestinian descent- they have not tied him to any organization, and they haven't proven what he did was politically motivated- but it probably was. Are we not supposed to make sure that never happens again? After Columbine, the ridiculousness of the measures taken to prevent other school shootings is still going on, and while it doesn't seem to be working, the measures are undertaken to keep us safe, whether some people like it or not.
The Constitution is not a blank check for bad behavior. One party's belief system should not, and cannot be used to legislate everyone else. Just because you think you know the truth does not mean that you do, especially when all of your "evidence" comes from a book written a thousand years ago. I may think I'm right, but I don't think I should make the laws for everyone else, either. I want the government to stay out of my uterus and stay out of everyone's bedrooms. I want the government to do what is necessary to protect this country, even from its own people. People have the right to believe and feel the way they want, but they should have the ability to keep it out of our laws.
And finally- stop pretending you believe in freedom when all you believe in is your own.
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