I saw a bumper sticker today that got me so mad. It said "Restore Freedom! Fire Pelosi and Reid."
Now I am not in love with either of them. And I don't necessarily think Obama is a great president. I didn't want him as the Democratic candidate. I don't think he has been in office long enough to be a good or a bad president. He sort of inherited a crappy situation and is doing what he can (which, with the deadlocked Congress and partison bickering that are the hallmarks of Washington, is not too terribly much) to solve the substantial problems that this country has. Blah blah blah. That isn't my point. WHY WHY WHY do people not understand that FREEDOM in this country means EVERYBODY'S freedom.
And yes, that means the freedom to do things you don't agree with. Let's take the abortion issue. I am not pro-abortion. I am pro-CHOICE. Just because I don't believe it is necessarily a good choice - and certainly not the best choice in many situations - doesn't mean I have the right to tell anyone what they can or can't do with their bodies. I don't want anyone to tell ME what I can or can't do with MY body (abortion, pregnancy, eating trans-fats, whatever). It seems to me that anti-choice advocates only call it a choice when people make the one that THEY would. Women are going to have abortions - right or wrong. At least with them legal, they can do so without rusty coat hangers and hack doctors in back alleys. And why in the world would many of these same people have a problem with birth control? Wouldn't having access to reliable birth control reduce the perceived need for abortions? Do these people really believe that we should just have as many babies as possible, financial, ecological, psychological consequences be damned? So now, not only do we not have the choice to end an unwanted pregancy, but we don't even have the choice to not get pregnant in the first place? What the hell? Didn't God give us free will? And if you have to CHOOSE to follow the path of righteousness for your own salvation, how is it worth anything if you have no choices to make? You can't legislate morality. You just can't.
How about gay marriage? I have a friend who recently married his partner. They are in a stable relationship. They love each other. He changed his name so they could feel like a family. They have engraved wedding rings. They have been together for years. They bought a house together. They are thinking of adopting children. Now my question is, how is this lovely man and his lovely husband doing anything to destablize the institution of marriage? MY marriage - shockingly, I know - has been not affected AT ALL by his marriage to his same-sex partner. Not one bit. The only difference is, they have to fight for the right to be at each other's bedside should one of them end up in the hospital. They have to fight for the right to be covered by the same insurance policy. They have to jump through hoops to make sure their property and assets don't go to some random relative when one of them dies. This is bullshit. They are human beings, living an authentic life true to the WAY THAT THEY WERE BORN. Homosexuality is not a choice or a lifestyle. It is who they are. So how is it right to tell them they are wrong or evil or not entitled to the rights that women and other minorities - hell, and redheads and the nearsighted and the people with birthmarks are entitled to? It just makes no sense to me at all. They are trying to live their life the way anyone else wants to in a land of supposed freedom.
I understand that most of these issues come back to religion. I understand that many people feel compelled to make other people in the world live by their standards. That, my friends, is crap. Everyone has their own moral yardstick, and it is not our freaking job to force ours on someone else. Feel free to proselytize - it is your right to say what you choose to whom you choose however annoying and intrusive I find it (First Amendment and all). But if people don't agree, you can't to force it on them. It is literally impossible. If you FORCE someone to do something, they are not choosing it in their heart. What value is there in that? It may have the desired physical effect (say a rape victim being forced to carry her rapist's child to term), but have you won any hearts to your cause? Almost certainly not. If anything, you have made a phsycologically scarred, or at least very angry enemy.
I don't happen to believe that people should be allowed to carry guns. But I am not going vandalize a gun-powners house, beat up his children, to go to anti-gun rallies or steal his guns in the middle of the night, because the right to bear arms is a Constitutional right and I respect that. Also, the people who don't agree with me all carry guns. But that's beside the point.
Incidentally, Jesus never said "Thou shalt hate the gays and take away their rights". Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes. He healed with lepers. He loved those who hated him. He LOVED. LOVE. He didn't say "Love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself - unless he is gay." Love, people. Love.
When are we going to understand that the cycle of violence and hatred that is ruling our world can never be overcome by more violence and hatred. Equal rights, freedom, choice, love. For everyone. That's all there is to it.
This was longer than I intended. It just makes me so mad that people can be so hateful. I realize I extrapolated a lot just from a few bumper stickers and I am as guilty many of the people I rail against. I am very intolerant of other people's intolerance.
Also, Pelosi is fun to make fun in The Capitol Steps, so that in and of itself is an argument to keep her around.
I just want to say that I agree with you 100%! Everyone should be allowed to do what makes them happy as long as they aren't hurting anyone in the process. I am also intolerant of other people's intolerance. Well said!
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