Over the years, I have probably heard every possible opinion in the abortion debate. I have heard the Pro-Life and the Pro-Choice side, including every possible extreme and middle position in both. Some are flexible, some are set in stone, and others are open minded to hear how wrong the other side is. And while the current state of affairs favors the Pro-Choice side (see Roe V. Wade), the Pro-Choice side swears up and down that it won't be that way for too much longer. My opinion? The debate is pointless.
Right about now, you fall in one of three categories: 1. You are pissed and will either stop reading or send some bitter comment on my Facebook page, 2. You couldn't agree more because the courts have already decided the debate in your mind, or 3. You are intrigued as to why I would make such a statement. For those of you in groups 1-3, this is what I mean.
The current debate focuses entirely around whether or not to keep a medical procedure legal. One side wants women to have the right to decide what they are going to do with their pregnancy (guess which side they are), while the others are convinced that the medical procedure equates to murder and should be eliminated. As you can see, both sides are arguing completely different things about the same topic. Therefore, the debate does nothing but polarize the populace and gain some ratings for conservative talk show hosts.
This is what should be done instead. If the Pro-Life movement is really interested in preserving children and helping women keep their babies, they should do just that. So many times, I have seen and heard people in the Right to Life crowd talk about the new shock ad or the new truck driving around with aborted fetuses on the side. For some reason, they do not want the practice to occur because it is sick, grotesque, and disgusting. Yet, they feel no shame, in fact they feel pride, over putting the result of that practice for all to see. This would be the same group of people that would sue war protesters for displaying the remains of a victim/soldier involved in a war, however, they see no contradiction in what they are doing.
I know it seems like I am bashing the Pro-Life movement, mostly because I am bashing the Pro-Life movement. Their time, money, and resources all go toward lobbying and advertisement campaigns such as the billboards. Meanwhile, there are countless women placed in the dire consequence of having to choose whether or not to abort. The debate is pointless because there has been nothing but menial gains by either side. One side gets a law passed, and the other gets it overturned in court. Vice versa, vice versa, and vice versa. Nothing ever gets done.
Rather than being stuck in an endless legal battle, the Pro-Life movement should work toward actually helping lives, born and unborn. They should put up clinics, housing, and resource centers that allows the most at risk women to have the things they need in order to provide for their coming family. They should operate to serve and protect the women that need help, rather than judging and protesting them. They should be warm and welcome them rather than hate and despise them.
There is an opportunity to change the way that the world works. Do not worry about Roe V Wade, make it irrelevant. By helping those that need it most, we would be helping those that cannot help themselves as well.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The True Cost of Freedom
The more I study the political system of America, the more I realize that our democracy is not really run by the people put into charge in the beginning, us. The average people. There were founding fathers that had great educations, great intellect, and wrote some of the greatest political theory and commentary still used to date. However, the intent of these men was clearly demonstrated when they declared America to be by the people, of the people, and for the people. Yet, in every political debate, it is not the average Americans that are looked upon but instead corporations, coalitions, and PACs. Campaigns are judged by how much money they draw in, as seen by the amount of press given to the financial reports filed every quarter. In essence, it when from common folk holding the key to corporations holding the key and charging for even walking into the building.
I know, I know. Every political commentator likes to bash the big corporations and blame them for being the big shots on Capitol Hill. However, I would like to point out that the people, that's right, average people, are to blame for this much more than the corporations are. Corporations are in business to make money. That is their goal, intention, and motivation. People, however, are supposed to be in charge of things, especially things that keep corporations from getting out of control. It comes back to us. We became apathetic. The generation in charge has kept us completely irrelevant, and in fact, most of their peers irrelevant as well. We are less interested in being part of the system because we cannot see the system doing any good. Health care legislation is watered down to help stave off pressure from providers. Food additives are allowed to be put into our food supply that make us more hungry, more obese, more everything except our lifespans, in order to keep food/snack corporations' money flowing. Electric cars are killed every time they start to present a viable alternative to internal combustion engines.
The point is this. All of these things have happened because we allowed it. Being in charge is a responsibility that we have passed around and around until the corporations have offered to take it off of our hands, hearts, and minds. It is time that we take back our country. We need to recognize the need for us to lead once more. The corporations are only going to look after themselves because that is their objective. It is time that we make ourselves relevant again and become the leaders we should have always been.
I know, I know. Every political commentator likes to bash the big corporations and blame them for being the big shots on Capitol Hill. However, I would like to point out that the people, that's right, average people, are to blame for this much more than the corporations are. Corporations are in business to make money. That is their goal, intention, and motivation. People, however, are supposed to be in charge of things, especially things that keep corporations from getting out of control. It comes back to us. We became apathetic. The generation in charge has kept us completely irrelevant, and in fact, most of their peers irrelevant as well. We are less interested in being part of the system because we cannot see the system doing any good. Health care legislation is watered down to help stave off pressure from providers. Food additives are allowed to be put into our food supply that make us more hungry, more obese, more everything except our lifespans, in order to keep food/snack corporations' money flowing. Electric cars are killed every time they start to present a viable alternative to internal combustion engines.
The point is this. All of these things have happened because we allowed it. Being in charge is a responsibility that we have passed around and around until the corporations have offered to take it off of our hands, hearts, and minds. It is time that we take back our country. We need to recognize the need for us to lead once more. The corporations are only going to look after themselves because that is their objective. It is time that we make ourselves relevant again and become the leaders we should have always been.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Blueprint for Democracy
As election season heats up and the steaming piles of crap are thrown from one side of the isle to the other, I for once am going to sit back and enjoy this season of give and take. I know that most people reading this would expect me to highlight an issue or candidate that is foremost in my head. However, the time has come to relax and let the political system work out its own demise. You see, in this, the year of our Lord 2010, one party will gain power while the other loses it. The American people are fuming with anger over deficits, social issues, the scope of Federal power, and other nice table conversation. So, trained as they are, those same people are going to go to the polls and vote for the guy without the incumbent sticker next to his name. Chances are he/she will be a Republican and they will probably pull off gaining back one house of Congress, making the next two years irrelevant.
That is when the party really gets started. The American public will look at the Republicans and ask why they didn't accomplish anything. No deficits were solved, no crisis adverted, nothing really got done at all. The Democrats will blame the Republicans in the Senate, the Republicans will blame the Democrats in the House. And that is when things will get fun. The American people will finally realize that having two massive party systems, neither of which listen to constituents, give voice to the public, and both of which scare potential voters into votes, is not the way things need to be run. They will wonder why they only have two options on the ballot and will demand open and democratic elections. And out of all this dust and debris will rise the age of the Third Party. It used to be a joke. Every now and then a state legislature in the Northeast would have one or two members of a third party in its ranks but the two major parties never thought they would amount to much. But now, after the American public realizes that the party in power never listens and the one not in power just sits around assuming that they will be re-elected next cycle, the joke is over.
I don't know how it is going to go down, nor do I care. What I do know is that the two party system in America is numbered. It is time to shock the world, America. It is time for all people to have a voice. It is time to have an option that does more than force an agenda one second, violate the Constitution the next, and bring it full circle with two years of doing absolutely nothing for the American people. They may not see it, but we do. And it is only a matter of time before their party comes to a crashing halt.
That is when the party really gets started. The American public will look at the Republicans and ask why they didn't accomplish anything. No deficits were solved, no crisis adverted, nothing really got done at all. The Democrats will blame the Republicans in the Senate, the Republicans will blame the Democrats in the House. And that is when things will get fun. The American people will finally realize that having two massive party systems, neither of which listen to constituents, give voice to the public, and both of which scare potential voters into votes, is not the way things need to be run. They will wonder why they only have two options on the ballot and will demand open and democratic elections. And out of all this dust and debris will rise the age of the Third Party. It used to be a joke. Every now and then a state legislature in the Northeast would have one or two members of a third party in its ranks but the two major parties never thought they would amount to much. But now, after the American public realizes that the party in power never listens and the one not in power just sits around assuming that they will be re-elected next cycle, the joke is over.
I don't know how it is going to go down, nor do I care. What I do know is that the two party system in America is numbered. It is time to shock the world, America. It is time for all people to have a voice. It is time to have an option that does more than force an agenda one second, violate the Constitution the next, and bring it full circle with two years of doing absolutely nothing for the American people. They may not see it, but we do. And it is only a matter of time before their party comes to a crashing halt.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Things that make me go huh?
Well, I apologize for my long absence but I have been doing a lot of thinking recently. It has occurred that there are some serious holes in today's political system. I was browsing the internet when I discovered an interesting nugget of information, Senator Lindsay Graham (R, S.C.) apparently wants to cut out part of the Constitution. The member of the party that decries when gun control and health care are brought up now want to eliminate a part of the Constitution that is inconvenient to their needs.
Senator Graham wishes to eliminate the 14th amendment of the Constitution, giving children born in the United States automatic citizenship. The reasoning behind such a suggestion? The 14th amendment is irrelevant and does not serve it's intended purpose. This is the Senator that claimed the government was taking rights away from people and shredding the Constitution, yet he wants to take away a cornerstone of American society. His position reminds me of another position that he battles against fiercely, gun control. The argument for stricter gun control is that the 2nd amendment served it's purpose and now is misinterpreted and is no longer relevant, yet Senator Graham and the rest of the GOP would never hear of such blasphemy.
I am not asking for strict gun control or a reversal of over a century of the cornerstone of American immigration policy. What I am asking for is simple Constitutional consistency. If one part of the Constitution is irrelevant because of modern events, then let's update the entire document. However, if the Constitution is a rock solid backbone to American society, then leave all parts of it alone. The Constitution shouldn't be torn apart from Democrats for gun control, then defended to the death for immigration policy, just as opposite from the Republicans shouldn't be allowed to happen. It is as simple as picking a path and sticking to it. Not appeasing independents, not obeying lobbyists and special interest groups. Constitutional consistency. Because if part of it goes, it all should go.
Senator Graham wishes to eliminate the 14th amendment of the Constitution, giving children born in the United States automatic citizenship. The reasoning behind such a suggestion? The 14th amendment is irrelevant and does not serve it's intended purpose. This is the Senator that claimed the government was taking rights away from people and shredding the Constitution, yet he wants to take away a cornerstone of American society. His position reminds me of another position that he battles against fiercely, gun control. The argument for stricter gun control is that the 2nd amendment served it's purpose and now is misinterpreted and is no longer relevant, yet Senator Graham and the rest of the GOP would never hear of such blasphemy.
I am not asking for strict gun control or a reversal of over a century of the cornerstone of American immigration policy. What I am asking for is simple Constitutional consistency. If one part of the Constitution is irrelevant because of modern events, then let's update the entire document. However, if the Constitution is a rock solid backbone to American society, then leave all parts of it alone. The Constitution shouldn't be torn apart from Democrats for gun control, then defended to the death for immigration policy, just as opposite from the Republicans shouldn't be allowed to happen. It is as simple as picking a path and sticking to it. Not appeasing independents, not obeying lobbyists and special interest groups. Constitutional consistency. Because if part of it goes, it all should go.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Corporate Responsibility
It is a serene day on the Gulf Coast. Early in the morning, entire towns say goodbye to brothers, fathers, and friends as they board their fishing vessels for another long day out at sea. Meanwhile, a dangerous and unsafe oil rig finally does the unthinkable and explodes. 11 people lose their lives while the rig sinks to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico and tens of thousands of barrels of oil start gushing into the sea. The unsuspecting fisherman and communities along the coast have no idea what is about to happen to them.
British Petroleum, the company that owned the rig, has failed America and the world. They operated an unsafe rig and then failed to have any plan in place for if or when the unthinkable were to happen. They have consistently tried to downplay the amount of oil in the water and the ecological and economic damage caused by their recklessness. They have not paid the fisherman, whose livelihoods are probably ruined for at least a decade, and the process for receiving any funds from them is set up as a complicated process that will prevent people that need it most from receiving it. Every clean up effort they have attempted to establish has been hastily thrown together and lacks any credibility. Ultimately, it is another example of a corporation that has placed an entire region of America at risk.
Sarah Palin had a post on her infamous Facebook page that asked the American people to overlook this "isolated incident" and still trust the oil companies with our energy needs. Sorry Sarah, but this is the final straw. If nothing else can be gleaned from this tragic event, we should at least realize our need for alternative fuels and energy sources. One oil rig has successfully taken down an entire region of America and it is not done yet. From Exxon Valdez to the Gulf Disaster, it has been proven that we need another form of power to lead America into the future. It is time to put the money and resources that we would be using to prevent another disaster and instead start putting those into developing clean, reliable, and safe fuels that can be used by everyday Americans in everyday situations. We can do it. It is not decades away anymore. If we buckle down, fight the propaganda, and finally decide to lead again, we can never again be afraid of being punished for a corporation's mistakes.
British Petroleum, the company that owned the rig, has failed America and the world. They operated an unsafe rig and then failed to have any plan in place for if or when the unthinkable were to happen. They have consistently tried to downplay the amount of oil in the water and the ecological and economic damage caused by their recklessness. They have not paid the fisherman, whose livelihoods are probably ruined for at least a decade, and the process for receiving any funds from them is set up as a complicated process that will prevent people that need it most from receiving it. Every clean up effort they have attempted to establish has been hastily thrown together and lacks any credibility. Ultimately, it is another example of a corporation that has placed an entire region of America at risk.
Sarah Palin had a post on her infamous Facebook page that asked the American people to overlook this "isolated incident" and still trust the oil companies with our energy needs. Sorry Sarah, but this is the final straw. If nothing else can be gleaned from this tragic event, we should at least realize our need for alternative fuels and energy sources. One oil rig has successfully taken down an entire region of America and it is not done yet. From Exxon Valdez to the Gulf Disaster, it has been proven that we need another form of power to lead America into the future. It is time to put the money and resources that we would be using to prevent another disaster and instead start putting those into developing clean, reliable, and safe fuels that can be used by everyday Americans in everyday situations. We can do it. It is not decades away anymore. If we buckle down, fight the propaganda, and finally decide to lead again, we can never again be afraid of being punished for a corporation's mistakes.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Two Party Game of Charades
Rewind. No, not the dvd you are watching but rather in your mind. Rewind to the year 2001. The Republican Party had won the Presidential Election, had control in Congress, and looked toward moving the country forward after the Clinton era. September 11, 2001. The most tragic day in American history. Thousands of people died in planes, skyscrapers, and a field in Pennsylvania. Everything changed. Democrats seemed crazy, blaming President Bush and his business partners. Republicans, however, kept a cool head. I wasn't very old then. In fact, I was in the 4th grade when the greatest legislative disaster in American history happened, The USA Patriot Act. I did not know it then, but the rule of law had been trampled upon. The Constitution is not a list of suggestions as to how the nation should be run. Rather, it is a stiff, inconvenient, unchanging list of rules that severely restricts what the government can or cannot do. And that is because that is what it was designed to be. The Republican Party did not care, as Senator Jeff Sessions put it on the Senate floor, "Some people love the Constitution more than the security of this nation.". When I came of age and realized the travesty that had occurred, I could no longer call myself a Republican.
So after that fiasco, I decided that I would look for a new party affiliation. I couldn't find a legitimate third party to side with, so I settled in as a Democrat. 2006 and 2008 were both really good years. Democrats finally took back control of both houses of Congress and the White House. Everybody was feeling optimistic and encouraged about the healing that was supposed to take place. The illegal, undeclared wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were going to be brought to a much needed end. Guantanamo Bay was going to be closed. The abomination known as the Patriot Act would finally be allowed to expire. Executive power was supposed to be brought back to appropriate levels. And then...President Obama decided to renew the Act, closing Guantanamo has been stalled from the start, and Afghanistan continues without an end in sight. Healthcare reform was passed. But the final package was only a watered down version of what the country truly needs and even that is under threat of repeal. Any way you look at it, I was let down yet again and therefore can no longer be called a Democrat.
When it comes down to it, both Parties are the same Party. We are convinced that all third party candidates are crazy, extremists, or unqualified. We have been trained to believe that we either choose between the Democrats or the Republicans. Anything else is just a wasted vote. NEWSFLASH: All votes cast in every election dominated by the two major parties has been a wasted vote! Either party is not interested in representing your voice, opinion, belief, or stance. Rather, they are interested in saying or doing whatever it takes to get elected. Republicans use fear of the unknown and creeping "socialism" to make you feel unpatriotic for not electing them. Democrats use lofty promises, unattainable goals, and "change" to get put into office. Both use you. Both use me. Both manipulate and deceive in order to get power. They are in control of Presidential debates. (See Ralph Nader Presidential Debate 2000). They are in control of ballot access. They control every aspect of democracy, which makes this nation a farce of a democracy.
What can we do? Let's waste our vote. Let's rally behind a Libertarian, Green Party, Constitutionalist, or even a Socialist Party candidate. Let's show the Republicans and Democrats where they can stick their control, manipulation, and deceit. Chances are that if you look into those candidates, you will find passionate, patriotic, devoted, and honest men and women who want to lead by common sense and principle. It is possible to change the landscape in the election of 2010. It only takes one. Whether it is a governor, congressman, or senator, one third party candidate winning can open the floodgates. I am tired, you are tired, we are all tired. Now, let's do something about it.
So after that fiasco, I decided that I would look for a new party affiliation. I couldn't find a legitimate third party to side with, so I settled in as a Democrat. 2006 and 2008 were both really good years. Democrats finally took back control of both houses of Congress and the White House. Everybody was feeling optimistic and encouraged about the healing that was supposed to take place. The illegal, undeclared wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were going to be brought to a much needed end. Guantanamo Bay was going to be closed. The abomination known as the Patriot Act would finally be allowed to expire. Executive power was supposed to be brought back to appropriate levels. And then...President Obama decided to renew the Act, closing Guantanamo has been stalled from the start, and Afghanistan continues without an end in sight. Healthcare reform was passed. But the final package was only a watered down version of what the country truly needs and even that is under threat of repeal. Any way you look at it, I was let down yet again and therefore can no longer be called a Democrat.
When it comes down to it, both Parties are the same Party. We are convinced that all third party candidates are crazy, extremists, or unqualified. We have been trained to believe that we either choose between the Democrats or the Republicans. Anything else is just a wasted vote. NEWSFLASH: All votes cast in every election dominated by the two major parties has been a wasted vote! Either party is not interested in representing your voice, opinion, belief, or stance. Rather, they are interested in saying or doing whatever it takes to get elected. Republicans use fear of the unknown and creeping "socialism" to make you feel unpatriotic for not electing them. Democrats use lofty promises, unattainable goals, and "change" to get put into office. Both use you. Both use me. Both manipulate and deceive in order to get power. They are in control of Presidential debates. (See Ralph Nader Presidential Debate 2000). They are in control of ballot access. They control every aspect of democracy, which makes this nation a farce of a democracy.
What can we do? Let's waste our vote. Let's rally behind a Libertarian, Green Party, Constitutionalist, or even a Socialist Party candidate. Let's show the Republicans and Democrats where they can stick their control, manipulation, and deceit. Chances are that if you look into those candidates, you will find passionate, patriotic, devoted, and honest men and women who want to lead by common sense and principle. It is possible to change the landscape in the election of 2010. It only takes one. Whether it is a governor, congressman, or senator, one third party candidate winning can open the floodgates. I am tired, you are tired, we are all tired. Now, let's do something about it.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Made in the USA
Imagine a serene coastal town. Imagine life in said town being relatively calm for centuries, avoiding the ravages of war, disease, famine, and weather disasters. People and society are both complex and concrete, being passed from generation to generation. Now imagine a ship filled with disease carrying, woman violating, violent people landing on the coast near this town and claiming the land for their far-away nation. I give you America's first immigrants.
Some may wonder why I tell the tale of these intrepid men of adventure. Well, it seems our good friends in Arizona have decided that our nation's history of immigration does not matter and all immigrants should be treated as criminals. In one of the greatest pieces of racial profiling ever committed by government, the state legislature has given Arizona authorities the right to detain anyone "suspected of being an illegal immigrant". That's right. Suspected. Not convicted of a crime. Not having their immigration status checked at a workplace or when arrested for a crime. Nope. Just by looking the part, United States citizens will now have to prove to skeptical law enforcement that they belong in this nation.
We have gone a long way from taking other nation's sick, poor, and oppressed. I guess the generosity of America cannot extend to everybody. Let alone Constitutional rights. Asking American citizens to prove who they are based on outward appearance is a grave step toward a police state. How are police officers not supposed to racially profile against Latino people when they are told that anyone of them could be here illegally. Forget where you stand on the immigration front. It should not matter whether you support deportation or paths to citizenship. The heart of the matter is that an entire state legislature has now told an entire race of people that they will be subject to search and seizure for looking the way that they do. They do not have to commit a crime or violate state law in any way. Police now have the authority to detain whoever they determine to have "suspect" immigration status. "I am sorry that you are a fourth generation American, Mrs. Sanchez, but you look an awful like the people that come through here. We have no other alternative. But, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." There is nothing to fear, except the extreme violation of Constitutional protection, racial profiling, and unwarranted confrontations with law enforcement...
When will we wake up? When will we finally realize what we are allowing people to do? There should have been protests outside that capitol building loud enough to keep the officials from hearing themselves think. There should have been people yelling and screaming outside to keep this insane law from happening. Where were the TEA Party Protesters then? Where were the people that claimed the violation of Constitutional rights when the health care bill passed? Where was Sara Palin? Glenn Beck? Michelle Bachmann? Where were the people on this issue? It is time that someone stand up for those that are being disenfranchised by our politicians. It is time that we yell and scream when something so bluntly racist and rights-destroying becomes law. It is time that all of those who have ranted and raved about losing rights to health care to not conveniently lose their voices when people are losing their basic rights to privacy and protection from unlawful searches and seizures. It is time. But the question, as always, remains: Will they step up?
Some may wonder why I tell the tale of these intrepid men of adventure. Well, it seems our good friends in Arizona have decided that our nation's history of immigration does not matter and all immigrants should be treated as criminals. In one of the greatest pieces of racial profiling ever committed by government, the state legislature has given Arizona authorities the right to detain anyone "suspected of being an illegal immigrant". That's right. Suspected. Not convicted of a crime. Not having their immigration status checked at a workplace or when arrested for a crime. Nope. Just by looking the part, United States citizens will now have to prove to skeptical law enforcement that they belong in this nation.
We have gone a long way from taking other nation's sick, poor, and oppressed. I guess the generosity of America cannot extend to everybody. Let alone Constitutional rights. Asking American citizens to prove who they are based on outward appearance is a grave step toward a police state. How are police officers not supposed to racially profile against Latino people when they are told that anyone of them could be here illegally. Forget where you stand on the immigration front. It should not matter whether you support deportation or paths to citizenship. The heart of the matter is that an entire state legislature has now told an entire race of people that they will be subject to search and seizure for looking the way that they do. They do not have to commit a crime or violate state law in any way. Police now have the authority to detain whoever they determine to have "suspect" immigration status. "I am sorry that you are a fourth generation American, Mrs. Sanchez, but you look an awful like the people that come through here. We have no other alternative. But, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." There is nothing to fear, except the extreme violation of Constitutional protection, racial profiling, and unwarranted confrontations with law enforcement...
When will we wake up? When will we finally realize what we are allowing people to do? There should have been protests outside that capitol building loud enough to keep the officials from hearing themselves think. There should have been people yelling and screaming outside to keep this insane law from happening. Where were the TEA Party Protesters then? Where were the people that claimed the violation of Constitutional rights when the health care bill passed? Where was Sara Palin? Glenn Beck? Michelle Bachmann? Where were the people on this issue? It is time that someone stand up for those that are being disenfranchised by our politicians. It is time that we yell and scream when something so bluntly racist and rights-destroying becomes law. It is time that all of those who have ranted and raved about losing rights to health care to not conveniently lose their voices when people are losing their basic rights to privacy and protection from unlawful searches and seizures. It is time. But the question, as always, remains: Will they step up?
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