March 06, 2004 :: 12:19 a.m.
the liberals are going to send us all to hell
Okay, so Adam and I went to Borders tonight because he had to pick up a book for one of his classes. His Asian Philosophy class, in fact, and the book was located in the Religion section. On the little display table in the center of the Religion section, there were a bunch of books, including one with George W. Bush's ugly monkey mug plastered on the front cover. It was called "The Faith of George W. Bush," and the blurbs on the back told me that it was an account of W's strong religious beliefs and how it has shaped his actions as the presidential candidate who lost but weaseled his way into office anyway and now, unfortunately, runs things. Or maybe I embellished that last part just a little bit. Whatever.
The point is, just reading the back cover made me want to kick someone's head in. Seriously, WHAT THE HELL? So the president non-elect is a christian. He believes in god. Big deal. What gives him the right to try to force his beliefs on me? How is it okay for him to make decisions that will effect an entire nation of people based on HIS personal religious beliefs? America is supposedly all about diversity. Black, white, hispanic, asian, christian, jewish, pagan, atheist, gay, straight, and so on and so forth. Not everyone believes in god. Not everyone fucks only people of the opposite sex. That's the whole thing about diversity - it's all about differences in opinion, belief, preference, etc. Wow, go figure!
When I was looking up the aforementioned book on Amazon to make sure I had the title right, I was informed that customers who bought "The Faith of George W. Bush" also purchased "The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush: 10 Common Sense Lessons from the Commander-in-Chief," "Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity," and "A Man Of Faith : The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush." And the disgust just grows and grows. From the Amazon.com blurb for "A Man Of Faith : The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush:"
More than any other world leader in recent times, George W. Bush is a man of faith�a conservative Christian who has brought the power of prayer and the search for God�s will into the Oval Office. ... According to Newsweek magazine, �this presidency is the most resolutely faith based in modern times. An enterprise founded, supported and guided by trust in the temporal and spiritual power of God.� ... The events following 9/11 caused many to view him as God�s chosen man for this critical time in history. ... His decision to go to war with Iraq became the ultimate test of his faith.
DUDE. When, exactly, did the whole separation of church and state thing become inconsequential? And anyone thinking that W is an instrument of god is really, really funny. But also very terrifying. This is why hardcore religious people freak me the fuck out - they think they're doing "god's work" or "acting on god's behalf" when really they're just fucking nuts. Does W have god's home number? Do they chat often? People who claim to have some kind of direct communicative link with god, or some special knowledge of god's wishes are just... ugh. I am SO glad I wasn't raised catholic. I was never even baptized! See, I'm totally untainted.
And this whole ban on gay marriage thing? Don't even get me started. Again, it goes back to separation of church and state. W wants to amend the constitution to make gay marriage illegal. He wants to WRITE INEQUALITY into the foundation of this country. Aside from the fact that that's just INSANE, we're talking about altering a government document - and, in turn, government policies - for religious reasons. Because there is not one valid argument for banning gay marriage that isn't religious in nature. Not everyone approves of homosexuality - I get that. But why don't they approve? The bible says it's wrong. And maybe two boys getting it on just makes some people uncomfortable, and hey, okay - but being uncomfortable with something doesn't generally move you to want it outlawed. I'm uncomfortable with people drinking - that doesn't mean I want to bring back prohibition. I'm uncomfortable with people hunting, but I'm not lobbying to have it made illegal. I'm uncomfortable with people scarfing down big, juicy slabs of decaying flesh, but since it's not my place to force my beliefs on others, I don't say a damn word. The only real reason people have for outlawing gay marriage is that god doesn't like it. It corrupts the minds of our youth - but why is homosexuality considered something that would corrupt kids to begin with? Because it's a sin. Every damn reason comes back to religion, and while I am all for freedom of religion, a big part of that freedom is keeping your damn beliefs to yourself.
Seriously, I mean, you can practice whatever you want. Worship satan for all I care. That's your right, your freedom. But in order for me to have my right and my freedom, I need you to keep your personal beliefs out of my life. I can't go about my day as a comfortable agnostic/semi-pagan if YOUR beliefs keep being shoved in my face. By trying to force christian beliefs and values on America at large, W is in essence denying us the freedom to live our lives according to our own beliefs. Gay people who aren't christian (and even those who are, I guess) don't think how they live is wrong, but they would still be denied the right to marry because the christian god declares it wrong. People who do not ascribe to the christian faith should no be punished according to or held to the standards of that faith. It just doesn't make logical sense. And to alter the constitution to placate the conservative christian majority not only kicks separation of church and state while it's down and bleeding, it completely spits in the face of the rights of the minority. And while democracy may be all about "majority rules," America posits itself as a place where every citizen is given equal rights and freedoms. Does being gay deprive you of that? No one would say that it was right to make black people sit at the back of the bus, or that it was right to put Japanese-Americans in internment camps during World War II. How is it right to deny another minority group its rights now?
[/rant]
back & forth
Wait, there's more!
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when everything is bad - March 16, 2005
of fruits and menstruation - March 15, 2005