This is my country too
Sep. 4th, 2008 10:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccastareyesPolitics depresses me. Perhaps moreso because my own conscience won't let me slide into the Benjamin-esque sentiment of 'things will continue like they always have -- badly'. I want to do something, to encourage the evolution of a system in the way I want to to go, or at least prevent it from getting worse. I just don't know how to go about doing this.
(I feel the need to note that this is my blog. While I love discussion, I don't like getting told that I am wrong, end of story. Also, I'll respect your opinions if you respect mine.)
+1 point to the Republican Party for realizing that we are in the 21st century, and thus, men and women can be president. Frankly, I'd like to see a ballot that had a 50-50 mix (well, with the sqrt(N) error that comes with small sampling, so if we look at the two major parties, and six third parties, that would be somewhere between 4 and 12 women) of men and women, and a racial mix of folks that represents our country's actual population, and maybe even some non-Christian and openly-non-straight and genderqueer candidates. Crazy talk, I know, coming from a country where my mother remembers the fuss the first non-Protestant President stirred up.
-1000 for picking Sarah Palin. The more I read about her policies and stances, the less I want her in any office bigger than 'mayor of Middle of Nowhere, Alaska' (and even then, I might not want her as mayor if I lived in 'Middle of Nowhere, Alaska'). And, I think I'd feel the same way about a hypothetical male version of her, considering I know how I've reacted to male politicians with her opinions.
Granted, I don't think he picked her for me, unless he thinks that by having a VP that happens to have the same genital arrangement and number of X chromosomes as me, that I will be more likely to vote for him. (That might have worked when I was 12, when I knew bug-all about politics.) Then again, I think Sen. McCain knows he had about as much odds of making friends with the President of Iran as he would getting my vote -- when one thinks that Barack Obama is too conservative, one is not likely to consider John McCain seriously.
As for why I don't like Sarah Palin, mostly:
-- I question her stance on reproductive rights. (Not just abortion, but contraceptives as well)
-- I don't question her stance on gay rights, because I know it and strongly disagree
-- I question her stance on science education. Scratch that, I don't question that either -- I know I don't want her making decisions on science ed, until she can pass Biology 101.
-- I question her environmentalist credentials and her ability to listen to scientists when they tell her 'what is wrong with our planet, and what we can do about it'.
-- Let's group those two points under 'I question her ability to understand science and technology'. I don't expect a Ph. D. in the White House, but I want someone who knows enough to tell good experts from bad other than 'who says what I want to hear'.
-- I question her understanding of history. There's a quote having her say that leaving 'Under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance was what the Founding Fathers intended. (Hint, Gov. Palin: Not only was 'under God' not in the original, the pledge was written in 1892. Either you don't know your history, or you claim the ability to talk to dead people.) Again, I don't expect a dissertation, but I want someone who remembers her high school classes well enough to spot BS.
-- I question her ability to keep her religious views out of my life. I don't care she is Christian, I do care if she thinks that 'Because it matches (a view of) Scripture' is the only justification for something related to her job. Considering the Republicans sponsored a candidate (within my lifetime, no less) that said that he didn't think atheists should be allowed to be citizens (George Bush, folks. Not the one currently in office, but his father), I have a deep, heartfelt suspicion of the party in this respect.
Someone (in a comment somewhere) tried to say that Gov. Palin's (or Sen. McCain, or Sen. Obama, or Sen. Biden) stances on the issues didn't matter because they were running for an executive position. I promptly decided that that person understood very little of US government. The president vetoes laws (meaning Congress needs a 2/3 vote rather than a simple majority to pass over a veto), makes up budget requests, is the ultimate head of all the various executive branch organizations (like the FDA, the FBI, the EPA, and a lot of other TLAs) that set policy, and selects Supreme Court justices and federal judges that are supposed to keep unconstitutional laws off the books. The whole point of checks and balances is that everyone has a separate role, but that people can interfere with the other branches to keep them in line. So, yes, the president's ideas matter. (The VP is also the tiebreaker vote in the US Senate.)
Furthermore, I might pay attention to Gov. Palin more than Sen. Biden, since Sen. McCain is a man in his 70s. For that matter, there are already some nutjob fundamentalist Christians who are praying that McCain/Palin wins, and then Sen. McCain dies shortly after he enters office, because they like Gov. Palin, but aren't too happy with McCain. (Hey, if there are any Secret Service/FBI types reading? Can you go investigate these folks? Just in case someone thinks to take matters into his/her own hands? Does it count as 'conspiracy to commit murder' if you ask God to kill someone?)
Also, Twain is rolling in his grave. I just read 'The War Prayer' and Twain seemed to give people the benefit of the doubt that most people wouldn't realize that praying for victory in battle meant praying for the other side to have Horrible Things happen to them. Here, it's not only openly said, but not even the other side.
Also, I don't care about any candidate's family. I presume that every person running is a big boy or girl and discussed the decision with his or her family. Thus, we don't need to hear about what anyone thinks of Michelle Obama or Bristol Palin or whoever, unless that person is giving speeches and campaigning. And then, limit it to what they say. I don't care who is pregnant, I don't care who has an affair, I really don't. Yes, I know, gossip is more interesting than real news, and sex sells. If I want political gossip, I'll read Snopes.com, and at least get people who specialize in finding out what the hell is really going on.
I didn't even get into what I feel about the RNC protests, besides that they make me nervous. I have to rant, because to do otherwise is to extend into apathy, and I refuse to give up without a fight, because this is my country too. I just wish I knew some direction to fight towards.
(I feel the need to note that this is my blog. While I love discussion, I don't like getting told that I am wrong, end of story. Also, I'll respect your opinions if you respect mine.)
+1 point to the Republican Party for realizing that we are in the 21st century, and thus, men and women can be president. Frankly, I'd like to see a ballot that had a 50-50 mix (well, with the sqrt(N) error that comes with small sampling, so if we look at the two major parties, and six third parties, that would be somewhere between 4 and 12 women) of men and women, and a racial mix of folks that represents our country's actual population, and maybe even some non-Christian and openly-non-straight and genderqueer candidates. Crazy talk, I know, coming from a country where my mother remembers the fuss the first non-Protestant President stirred up.
-1000 for picking Sarah Palin. The more I read about her policies and stances, the less I want her in any office bigger than 'mayor of Middle of Nowhere, Alaska' (and even then, I might not want her as mayor if I lived in 'Middle of Nowhere, Alaska'). And, I think I'd feel the same way about a hypothetical male version of her, considering I know how I've reacted to male politicians with her opinions.
Granted, I don't think he picked her for me, unless he thinks that by having a VP that happens to have the same genital arrangement and number of X chromosomes as me, that I will be more likely to vote for him. (That might have worked when I was 12, when I knew bug-all about politics.) Then again, I think Sen. McCain knows he had about as much odds of making friends with the President of Iran as he would getting my vote -- when one thinks that Barack Obama is too conservative, one is not likely to consider John McCain seriously.
As for why I don't like Sarah Palin, mostly:
-- I question her stance on reproductive rights. (Not just abortion, but contraceptives as well)
-- I don't question her stance on gay rights, because I know it and strongly disagree
-- I question her stance on science education. Scratch that, I don't question that either -- I know I don't want her making decisions on science ed, until she can pass Biology 101.
-- I question her environmentalist credentials and her ability to listen to scientists when they tell her 'what is wrong with our planet, and what we can do about it'.
-- Let's group those two points under 'I question her ability to understand science and technology'. I don't expect a Ph. D. in the White House, but I want someone who knows enough to tell good experts from bad other than 'who says what I want to hear'.
-- I question her understanding of history. There's a quote having her say that leaving 'Under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance was what the Founding Fathers intended. (Hint, Gov. Palin: Not only was 'under God' not in the original, the pledge was written in 1892. Either you don't know your history, or you claim the ability to talk to dead people.) Again, I don't expect a dissertation, but I want someone who remembers her high school classes well enough to spot BS.
-- I question her ability to keep her religious views out of my life. I don't care she is Christian, I do care if she thinks that 'Because it matches (a view of) Scripture' is the only justification for something related to her job. Considering the Republicans sponsored a candidate (within my lifetime, no less) that said that he didn't think atheists should be allowed to be citizens (George Bush, folks. Not the one currently in office, but his father), I have a deep, heartfelt suspicion of the party in this respect.
Someone (in a comment somewhere) tried to say that Gov. Palin's (or Sen. McCain, or Sen. Obama, or Sen. Biden) stances on the issues didn't matter because they were running for an executive position. I promptly decided that that person understood very little of US government. The president vetoes laws (meaning Congress needs a 2/3 vote rather than a simple majority to pass over a veto), makes up budget requests, is the ultimate head of all the various executive branch organizations (like the FDA, the FBI, the EPA, and a lot of other TLAs) that set policy, and selects Supreme Court justices and federal judges that are supposed to keep unconstitutional laws off the books. The whole point of checks and balances is that everyone has a separate role, but that people can interfere with the other branches to keep them in line. So, yes, the president's ideas matter. (The VP is also the tiebreaker vote in the US Senate.)
Furthermore, I might pay attention to Gov. Palin more than Sen. Biden, since Sen. McCain is a man in his 70s. For that matter, there are already some nutjob fundamentalist Christians who are praying that McCain/Palin wins, and then Sen. McCain dies shortly after he enters office, because they like Gov. Palin, but aren't too happy with McCain. (Hey, if there are any Secret Service/FBI types reading? Can you go investigate these folks? Just in case someone thinks to take matters into his/her own hands? Does it count as 'conspiracy to commit murder' if you ask God to kill someone?)
Also, Twain is rolling in his grave. I just read 'The War Prayer' and Twain seemed to give people the benefit of the doubt that most people wouldn't realize that praying for victory in battle meant praying for the other side to have Horrible Things happen to them. Here, it's not only openly said, but not even the other side.
Also, I don't care about any candidate's family. I presume that every person running is a big boy or girl and discussed the decision with his or her family. Thus, we don't need to hear about what anyone thinks of Michelle Obama or Bristol Palin or whoever, unless that person is giving speeches and campaigning. And then, limit it to what they say. I don't care who is pregnant, I don't care who has an affair, I really don't. Yes, I know, gossip is more interesting than real news, and sex sells. If I want political gossip, I'll read Snopes.com, and at least get people who specialize in finding out what the hell is really going on.
I didn't even get into what I feel about the RNC protests, besides that they make me nervous. I have to rant, because to do otherwise is to extend into apathy, and I refuse to give up without a fight, because this is my country too. I just wish I knew some direction to fight towards.
