Politics

[neadods]

I live in hope that someone in America, someday SOON, will have the spine to speak this plainly and forcefully in favor of equal marriage rights for all citizens.

And speaking of rights, wicked_wish has a brilliant rant regarding the resounding silence of anti-abortionists to work on programs proven to reduce unwanted pregnancies.

This is not about abortion. If you read the article in its entirety, I think that much is obvious -- this is not about abortion. If this were about abortion -- specifically, about fewer abortions being performed -- then those interested in reducing that number would hop all over this bill. So I'll say it again, this is not about abortion.

This is about women having sex, and who gets to be in charge of that sex.

The rest of it isn't worksafe if you can't have profanities on your screen.

Comments

[nemo-wistar.livejournal.com]

I live in hope that someone in America, someday SOON, will have the spine to speak this plainly and forcefully in favor of equal marriage rights for all citizens.

Amen. Excellent speech.

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

Word!!, WORD!!!, and ugh. In that order.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Now, THAT'S impressive. A man who's willing to say, "The times have changed, and I have changed with them." Who is willing to support an issue that he opposed 4 years ago -- and not be afraid to admit it -- because he has genuinely changed his mind. Can you imagine the howls of "Flip-flop!" that would happen if someone said something like that here?

As to the other... I've already linked it.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I loved every word of that speech. I admire a man who can say "I changed my mind" and not apologize. I respect a man who can say "I do not have the right to legislate my beliefs." And I want to stand and cheer for someone who ties his arguments so strongly to the law and the pride of his nation instead of his notion of The One True Religion.

I so wish I could vote for him, I really do. Now if only one of our politicans would grow the brass equipment to speak like that...

[maryannegruen.livejournal.com]

I am so tired of these followers of G.I. Jesus who feel they have the right to control everybody else's lives. They're just like the Pharisees the Biblical Jesus talked about in the Gospels.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

G.I. Jesus - what a GREAT way of putting it!

Brad Hicks (his links are somewhere in my f-list) had a great series of essays wherein he described a deliberate shift in churches away from preaching Sermon on the Mount stuff and into the whole Church Militant attitude - and how it is distinctly unBiblical.

[maryannegruen.livejournal.com]

I saw your comments on Brad Hicks in your LJ and followed the links. I have to check your f-list links because this subject is interesting me more and more. I was too busy with the shows to say anything then, but I really think it's time some of the Biblical Christians started speaking up against this G.I. Jesus who carries an AK47 over his shoulder instead of a cross. I've kinda been wondering if he's the literal anti-Christ. I mean if you're Satan and you want to build an anti-Christ, why use a puny human? Wouldn't it be more effective if you create a G.I. Jesus to nullify the Biblical one?

These people have created a twisted "Let's Pretend" version of Jesus in their own ugly image. One that has nothing to do with the Gospels. My husband says the word Christian is starting to become synonymous with prejudice and hatred. If that's not anti-Christ, I don't know what is.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

My husband says the word Christian is starting to become synonymous with prejudice and hatred. If that's not anti-Christ, I don't know what is.


We could wander off onto a discussion of other times in history when Christian wasn't the best of things to be (inquisition, Catholic/Protestant wars) but on the whole I agree with you.

I see signs of an emerging religious left, but will it find a voice with the right having such a stranglehold on everything but the internet?

[maryannegruen.livejournal.com]

My husband is Jewish, so he'd be one of the first to bring up the Inquisition. I think the folks behind that were pretty anti-Christian too. They were serious Pharisees, complete with executions and torture that would have impressed those on the uglier side of the Roman Empire.

And then there's one of my favorite saints....Joan of Arc, who was made a sainted martyr by the church that helped to martyr her. The Catholic church had official prisons in those days, though I believe they wouldn't allow her to be transferred to one. I have no doubt that if Jesus returned today with his radical leftist ideas that the Christian right would immediately want to crucify him again.

I say all this knowing that you aren't personally into religion. I've been told I'm more "spiritual" than Christian. I took a political test last year on the web that was supposed to tell you where you fell within the left and right, conservative and liberal areas and I came up so far left I was in the same area as the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandella.


I see signs of an emerging religious left, but will it find a voice with the right having such a stranglehold on everything but the internet?

I don't know. But it needs to be tried even if it *is* only on the internet. These folks are trying to hold back the moving forward of the world. I'm sure they'd love to return to the time of the Inquisition (and of course the Crusades).

There was one thing that came up near the end of the year that pointed out how ugly and disconnected these people are. A lady in my age range in a beginning mystery writer list mentioned that she belonged to a Florida writer's association. I've forgotten the exact name. They had just put together a video advertising themselves. And at the front of the video was a tirade against non-Christians, declaring that they needed to be killed and sent to hell as violently and as soon as possible. Then they got on to their main supposed topic of writing. This woman from the list was very upset with the tirade, as were some others who weren't Christian. She spoke up to the board of directors and pointed out that she was one of the people they were talking about killing. But they thought she was over-reacting and the video went out as is.

This isn't the sort of stuff good people should be silent about. The stranglehold will just get tighter.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

They had just put together a video advertising themselves. And at the front of the video was a tirade against non-Christians, declaring that they needed to be killed and sent to hell as violently and as soon as possible.

What...the...HELL???! In what demented parallel dimension is that even remotely appropriate in an advertisement? And who would be comfortable with the kind of clientele that brought?

But they thought she was over-reacting and the video went out as is

Alas, something similar happened after 9/11 in one of the fan groups here; an atheist protested when the newsletter contained "convert or die" material. She was also told that she was overreacting and that she had to be tolerant of the other viewpoints in the club. She pointed out that it was very telling that they didn't feel a need to tolerate someone who had been a member for over a decade, and left.

I hope the mystery writer you know did the same.

[maryannegruen.livejournal.com]

I don't know if she left or not. But at the time I was one of the ones who urged her to leave and start a new group. You never really know if one of the wingnuts might get the idea that violence against her would earn them a place in heaven or something. She was a pagan.

I believe in freedom of religion. But I don't think a religion or any other group should be "free" to publicly call for the extermination of those who don't worship....or think....or live....or love....or look as they do. It's harassment and it limits the freedom of others. It's also not very Christian.