7th November 2011
Reblogged From sinidentidades
Notes: 17891
A caller to today’s On Point voices her support for Mississippi’s proposed anti-abortion “personhood amendment.” She then goes on to decry sex education in public schools as “too mandatory… too socialist.” When asked about the conflict here—opposing “mandatory” government restrictions over one’s choice while supporting very mandatory controls over individual reproductive rights—the caller is at a total loss for words.
Played 11 times.
>implying the Constitution doesn’t allow states to have their own laws
Shows how much about the Constitution Liberaltards know.
Nothing about this implies that “the Constitution doesn’t allow states to have their own laws.” Rather, it’s a comment on Perry’s rhetorical hypocrisy.
If government is to be painted as a source of oppression in the absolute (a philosophy which Perry has adopted on the campaign trail) then there’s no reason this philosophy shouldn’t apply to state governments as well, which leech power away from local governments and property owners and centralize it elsewhere. If you believe any governing body has the right to choose whether you live or die, you don’t believe in “small government,” period.
Rick Perry: government control, literally, over your life.
…the first four comments on a Fox News story about the repeal of the military’s ban on gay servicemembers. Let’s see what we’ve got…
1) Gay people are diseased and can’t control their sexual urges in professional situations (which straight people are so awesome at).
2) The repeal is not about equal rights, in fact, and is actually a secret ploy to raise YOUR taxes (…somehow).
3) God is angry and will strike down all the gays (bonus points for getting in a “God… oops, I mean ‘NATURE’” jab at the PC police; by applying pretend censorship to your own comments you get to re-cast yourself as a victim in a story that has nothing to do with you! Bravo!)
4) “They” made us go to school with black people, and pretty soon “they” will make us go to school with gays! (bonus points for unironic, “old-school” racism).
Seriously… I got “gays are promiscuous,” “gays are evil,” “secret Obama plot to raise taxes” and “why do I have to interact with black people?” in the first four comments?!
http://alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
http://alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
http://alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
http://alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
If you have an opportunity, check out this month’s issue of The Nation (and, while you’re at it, this episode of Fresh Air featuring John Nichols). It’s a double-issue devoted to ALEC, the “legislative exchange council” comprised of corporate leaders and legal teams that write laws for state-level politicians. They’ve existed since the 70s and have written legislation to privatize schools and prisons, add permanent revenue caps to state constitutions, deregulate everything, etc. They have unprecedented influence in our politics and their agenda is basically designed to dismantle our government and return the money to the private sector. So this is worth knowing about.
I was driving behind a car with this bumper sticker the other day (well, it wasn’t exactly like this… it had the same text but featured a cartoon cat instead of cartoon penguins), and it made me suddenly, indescribably angry. This might seem innocuous on its face (how could cute cartoon animals be offensive?), but my first thought was this: if you have your own car on which to stick a bumper sticker, you are probably more privileged than most of the people living on this planet. And with that comes the privilege of being able to relax. For example, one of the millions of people who must walk three hours every day just to get clean drinking water does not have the privilege of relaxing, because she was not born in a place where clean drinking water (let alone SUVs) are widely available.
So this is highly offensive because, yes, it’s a slap in the face to those who are the victims of global poverty/genocide/sexual assault/natural disaster and any number of other atrocious, uncontrollable circumstances. But there is a greater societal harm: in endorsing and advertising the Relax… God is in control attitude to others (which is exactly what bumper stickers are designed to do), we are essentially saying don’t bother worrying about things that seem unfair or unjust, because everything is as it’s “supposed” to be. And it’s “supposed” to be that way because a Christian God (supposedly benevolent and kind) wants it to be that way.
This is, in my opinion, the problem in general with Christianity (and theism writ large); while in theory it preaches tolerance and equality, in practice it encourages apathy, discourages self-reliance and efficacy, and prevents people from questioning and acting against established systems of oppression and privilege (like Christianity itself).
Submitted by fyeahgorevidal
I like it
Hey! stfuconservatives accepted my submission. They’re the best.
George W. Bush refused for a number of years in the past to endorse a U.N. declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of gays and lesbians around the world in an effort to make it a worldwide policy.
Well, we do live in the present and it has been indeed a time for CHANGE where America is witnessing a sea of changes and broad transformative short and long-term policies being implemented by the Obama Administration in a wide range of issues affecting Americans.
Yesterday was one of those days again where the Administration stood tall and drew the line stating that human rights “are the inalienable right of every person, no matter who they are or who they love” acknowledging that discrimination against gays and lesbians around the world is unacceptable and must be fought and stopped.
Obama administration calls on United Nations to support gay rights by Julie Mianecki, Washington Bureau:
“Human rights are the inalienable right of every person, no matter who they are or who they love,” Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, U.S. ambassador to the council in Geneva, said in a statement. “The U.S. government is firmly committed to supporting the right of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals to lead productive and dignified lives, free from fear and violence.”//snip
Last weekend, in a statement with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, President Obama announced the creation of a government position to monitor gay rights in the Western Hemisphere.
Fred Sainz, vice president of communications at the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group, said the U.S. was finally stepping into the role it should have held all along as a worldwide leader in promoting equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
“For those who have been denied their equality for decades, change will never come soon enough,” Sainz said. “But there should also be no doubt that in the past two years more positive change for and on behalf of gay people has been made than ever before.”
[…]
Google ads from a Boston Herald article about Mitt Romney.
