I wish I wasn't scared
I have been watching the way the media (both right and left) have been covering health care reform, national security and the economic situation these past few months. I wish I could say that with Obama as president and a Democrat majority in both houses of Congress I had a sense of peace. After 8 years of wondering when the dystopia I have feared since my sophomore year in high school would eliminate freedoms and legislate morality, I have yet to see my country truly rise from that likelihood. From the inappropriately named "Patriot Act" which still makes dissent punishable without a trial, to the continuation of policies that prevent anyone but heterosexuals from participating in their full rights as a citizen, we are still not out of the woods. I am not saying that President Obama is to blame, or that he should have fixed these things by now. My fear does not stem from doubts about him as our leader, but rather from the insanity of those who oppose him. I have no problem with healthy debates and disagreement. For the last 8 years I have disagreed with many decisions made by the government led by Cheney, but I have done so with my voice and my words. I lamented that the America of my visions had no hope under this despotic regime, but I never carried assault weapons to meetings, nor did I join secessionist groups. I considered moving to another country to seek freedom from religious persecutors.
I can not understand why some people feel the need to use threatening language when debating health care reform. Why would you preface any statement with "I am a proud member of the NRA..." when talking about health care? What does that have to do with the debate? What good does saying the Pledge of Allegiance do in a meeting where information is supposed to be given and debates are supposed to be held? I am not saying that I don't want debate, I am saying that all I want is debate. Why can't there just be conversations about policy rather than gun waving? This kind of thing is an open threat to the democratic process. The actions flat out say, "oppose us and we'll use these guns." I might understand bringing guns to a conversation about gun control, but healthcare? No.
I also can not understand the hysterical people crying out that their America has been taken away. Has it? Notice that they are all white, straight and Christian. Perhaps it has. Perhaps it is time for other voices to be heard and to have power. But why are they fighting so hard for the rights and privileges of big insurance companies? These same companies have been taking money from them for decades and costing private citizens tons of money. We do not have the best healthcare system in the world. We are ranked somewhere around 37th.
I just fear that this behavior, largely fueled by conservative pundits on the radio and Fox News will do more than whine. The left likes to whine. It also embraces diversity. By allowing for more than one opinion and debate, the left can not overtake the right. I truly hope that the left remains open despite the increasingly monolithic movements of the right. I also hope that despite the differences on the left, progress can be made. What I hope for most, is that cooler heads prevail on the right and no one does anything drastic.
I can not understand why some people feel the need to use threatening language when debating health care reform. Why would you preface any statement with "I am a proud member of the NRA..." when talking about health care? What does that have to do with the debate? What good does saying the Pledge of Allegiance do in a meeting where information is supposed to be given and debates are supposed to be held? I am not saying that I don't want debate, I am saying that all I want is debate. Why can't there just be conversations about policy rather than gun waving? This kind of thing is an open threat to the democratic process. The actions flat out say, "oppose us and we'll use these guns." I might understand bringing guns to a conversation about gun control, but healthcare? No.
I also can not understand the hysterical people crying out that their America has been taken away. Has it? Notice that they are all white, straight and Christian. Perhaps it has. Perhaps it is time for other voices to be heard and to have power. But why are they fighting so hard for the rights and privileges of big insurance companies? These same companies have been taking money from them for decades and costing private citizens tons of money. We do not have the best healthcare system in the world. We are ranked somewhere around 37th.
I just fear that this behavior, largely fueled by conservative pundits on the radio and Fox News will do more than whine. The left likes to whine. It also embraces diversity. By allowing for more than one opinion and debate, the left can not overtake the right. I truly hope that the left remains open despite the increasingly monolithic movements of the right. I also hope that despite the differences on the left, progress can be made. What I hope for most, is that cooler heads prevail on the right and no one does anything drastic.