(no subject)
"Dear Newsweek,
I am writing you to convey a feeling of hopelessness and deep sadness
for our country since the election. I am a member of a family of
three, a contributor to society, a taxpayer, a moral citizen. I am a
gay woman. I feel the tide changing in our country toward prejudice
and exclusion. Now my own daughter is under fire for defending her
family in her college freshman classes and for speaking her mind
against anti-gay policies.
My faith in our Nation's leaders has steadfastly diminished and I fear
for religious moral righteous justification to pursue an agenda that
promotes only prejudice and hate. If our own President cannot promote
acceptance and condemn hate and prejudice, how can we maintain peace
and freedom in our own diverse nation? Is Mr. Bush worthy of the
highest office in our country when all citizens are not equal under
his watch?
Please help fight for a hate-free America and equal treatment for all
Americans."
In a democracy, things like this happen. A lot has been said about
this election, but one cannot say that it wasn't democratic. Bush was
not the right choice, but he was the people's choice. The problem
with this lies in freedom. Bush wishes to constrict the freedoms of
his people to fit into his ideal paradise. To me, this is
inexcusable. I value my ideals and, of course, I think them the most
correct, but that doesn't mean I want to force them on others. If
someone doesn't see things eye to eye with you, you do not write up
legislature so that they have to. That is democracy, yes, but it is
not freedom.
Another point that I feel needs to be made is the one about morality.
Obviously, this ties in strongly with what I just said about freedom,
but it's also important to see it from the other side as well. In a
recent pole of republican voters, 23% said they voted solely on moral
issues. While I find this disgusting, I also feel that I've
contributed to this. I admit that I don't agree with a lot of Kerry's
policy, but I voted for him anyway. I didn't do this because of some
"anyone but Bush" mentality, but because I felt he was the correct
moral choice for the country. So, before any of you condemn the 13,
573, 997.86 for voting on their morality, consider your own actions
without the jaundiced glasses on.
I know it sounds sort of like I'm giving Bush's supporters some sort
of validity for their choices, but I'm not. What I'm saying is that,
if we want to be free of bias, we need to realize the bias we have
towards biased people. Let's try that again. In order for us to
truly be free, we need to realize that bias is something to be
forgiven. Even though we may believe that gay men and women should
have equal and inclusive rights, that doesn't mean that we punish
those who think differently. Personally, I'd love to just go crack
some heads down at the abortion clinic for those moronic signs they
have. In fact, I have in the past, but that doesn't make it right.
For the good of this nation, we need to work towards erasing hate by
allowing it to be in the open and only punishing its violent portions.
So, I'm not sure if I got my point across as there's a lot here and I
admit to being too lazy to fully explore what I'm saying, but that's
the way it is. If you want to know more about what it is I'm talking
about, email me or IM me and we'll discuss it. Otherwise, you're just
going to have to figure it out yourselves.
-Riley: Proud to be an American no matter what
I am writing you to convey a feeling of hopelessness and deep sadness
for our country since the election. I am a member of a family of
three, a contributor to society, a taxpayer, a moral citizen. I am a
gay woman. I feel the tide changing in our country toward prejudice
and exclusion. Now my own daughter is under fire for defending her
family in her college freshman classes and for speaking her mind
against anti-gay policies.
My faith in our Nation's leaders has steadfastly diminished and I fear
for religious moral righteous justification to pursue an agenda that
promotes only prejudice and hate. If our own President cannot promote
acceptance and condemn hate and prejudice, how can we maintain peace
and freedom in our own diverse nation? Is Mr. Bush worthy of the
highest office in our country when all citizens are not equal under
his watch?
Please help fight for a hate-free America and equal treatment for all
Americans."
In a democracy, things like this happen. A lot has been said about
this election, but one cannot say that it wasn't democratic. Bush was
not the right choice, but he was the people's choice. The problem
with this lies in freedom. Bush wishes to constrict the freedoms of
his people to fit into his ideal paradise. To me, this is
inexcusable. I value my ideals and, of course, I think them the most
correct, but that doesn't mean I want to force them on others. If
someone doesn't see things eye to eye with you, you do not write up
legislature so that they have to. That is democracy, yes, but it is
not freedom.
Another point that I feel needs to be made is the one about morality.
Obviously, this ties in strongly with what I just said about freedom,
but it's also important to see it from the other side as well. In a
recent pole of republican voters, 23% said they voted solely on moral
issues. While I find this disgusting, I also feel that I've
contributed to this. I admit that I don't agree with a lot of Kerry's
policy, but I voted for him anyway. I didn't do this because of some
"anyone but Bush" mentality, but because I felt he was the correct
moral choice for the country. So, before any of you condemn the 13,
573, 997.86 for voting on their morality, consider your own actions
without the jaundiced glasses on.
I know it sounds sort of like I'm giving Bush's supporters some sort
of validity for their choices, but I'm not. What I'm saying is that,
if we want to be free of bias, we need to realize the bias we have
towards biased people. Let's try that again. In order for us to
truly be free, we need to realize that bias is something to be
forgiven. Even though we may believe that gay men and women should
have equal and inclusive rights, that doesn't mean that we punish
those who think differently. Personally, I'd love to just go crack
some heads down at the abortion clinic for those moronic signs they
have. In fact, I have in the past, but that doesn't make it right.
For the good of this nation, we need to work towards erasing hate by
allowing it to be in the open and only punishing its violent portions.
So, I'm not sure if I got my point across as there's a lot here and I
admit to being too lazy to fully explore what I'm saying, but that's
the way it is. If you want to know more about what it is I'm talking
about, email me or IM me and we'll discuss it. Otherwise, you're just
going to have to figure it out yourselves.
-Riley: Proud to be an American no matter what