Confidential to My Republican Friends
Okay, so you all know I'm a Democrat. And although I wish my party would get some backbone already, that's not going to change. But I have been really confused by the Republican party lately, and I would like some answers. Can someone please explain Republicans to me? I'm serious. I thought that Republicans stood for small government, less intrusion into the personal lives of citizens, less spending, and family values.
Well, clearly the family values thing went out the window with Foley. (And don't try to compare his actions to Clinton--Clinton lied about a sexual relationship, too, yes. But he didn't stalk Monica Lewinsky. They had a consenting relationship between two adults, not a creepy weird thing where he was sending explicit messages to those under the age of consent.)
But what about the rest of it? Why is it that under a Republican president, we have a government that has authorized unwarranted wiretaps? If Republicans are supposed to be for small government, why is the FCC so concerned with everything we see on TV? Where's the individual autonomy to pick up the remote and take two seconds to change the channel?
And what about the spending? Didn't we have a surplus under Clinton? Now all we have is a deficit that's growing by the day. In a recent AP story, Bush was quoted as saying, "The Democrats' approach to cutting the deficit is taking more of your money to pay for their spending. The Republican approach is to restrain spending." Restrain spending? He certainly hasn't done that!
Why is our president, along with his cohorts, trying to restrain freedom of the press? Why are those who expose information that could be damaging to the war on terror or the war in Iraq (two entirely separate things, mind you) attacked, and in some cases, called treasonous? (Okay mostly by pundits like Melanie Morgan, but still.) Why does our vice president want the right to torture people?
Have the ideals of the Republican party been totally corrupted by the Christian right? Why is it okay for Christians to be extremists, but not for Muslims? And why, in South Dakota, is a woman's right to an abortion being conflated with encouragement to have an abortion? (See this LA Times article for more.) Pro-choice doesn't mean pro-abortion! It means the woman gets to choose! It means the government doesn't get to decide for her!
I really would like a Republican to explain this to me, because I don't feel that the Republican Party's actions are consistent with historical party ideals. What's going on here?
Well, clearly the family values thing went out the window with Foley. (And don't try to compare his actions to Clinton--Clinton lied about a sexual relationship, too, yes. But he didn't stalk Monica Lewinsky. They had a consenting relationship between two adults, not a creepy weird thing where he was sending explicit messages to those under the age of consent.)
But what about the rest of it? Why is it that under a Republican president, we have a government that has authorized unwarranted wiretaps? If Republicans are supposed to be for small government, why is the FCC so concerned with everything we see on TV? Where's the individual autonomy to pick up the remote and take two seconds to change the channel?
And what about the spending? Didn't we have a surplus under Clinton? Now all we have is a deficit that's growing by the day. In a recent AP story, Bush was quoted as saying, "The Democrats' approach to cutting the deficit is taking more of your money to pay for their spending. The Republican approach is to restrain spending." Restrain spending? He certainly hasn't done that!
Why is our president, along with his cohorts, trying to restrain freedom of the press? Why are those who expose information that could be damaging to the war on terror or the war in Iraq (two entirely separate things, mind you) attacked, and in some cases, called treasonous? (Okay mostly by pundits like Melanie Morgan, but still.) Why does our vice president want the right to torture people?
Have the ideals of the Republican party been totally corrupted by the Christian right? Why is it okay for Christians to be extremists, but not for Muslims? And why, in South Dakota, is a woman's right to an abortion being conflated with encouragement to have an abortion? (See this LA Times article for more.) Pro-choice doesn't mean pro-abortion! It means the woman gets to choose! It means the government doesn't get to decide for her!
I really would like a Republican to explain this to me, because I don't feel that the Republican Party's actions are consistent with historical party ideals. What's going on here?
posted by Astera @ 9:04 PM
3 Comments:
At 5:47 AM,
Seven Star Hand said…
Hello Astera,
Here's some insight into what has been happenning to the Re[ublicans and the Christian Right. They have pushed the envelope on hypocrisy and duplicity and now comes truth and justice...
Proof that pretending to serve the Creator for wealth and power always leads to calamity
As recent events and millennia of history have shown us, those who bedevil others with holier-than-thou pretenses, as they support and/or perform blatant evil eventually suffer dire consequences. The prime example is the Vatican, which has caused great disasters for itself and its followers throughout history as the direct result of its great deceptions, hypocrisy, and injustices. One of the most recent are the actions of the Christian Right, Bush administration, and Republican Party, all close allies of the Vatican. While scoffing at the existence of Karma, "blind and deaf" hypocrites consistently provide proof that evil deeds regularly lead to the "curse," mostly commonly known as bad karma.
If Christians leaders are going to go around attacking others for not living up to their professed values, it's a damn good idea to be truthful and actually walk the walk. Logs and motes in the eye, camels through the eye of a needle, glass houses, kettle's and pots, and what goes around comes around, et al. Karma's a bitch when She finally decides enough is enough! This wouldn't have been so bad on Republicans if they hadn't been such arrogant hypocrites in order to corner the so-called values voters! Now the "Two Candlesticks" and "Two Witnesses" (Truth and Justice) are "breathing fire" and "raining hailstones!"
Pretending to serve the Creator while deceiving, exploiting, and oppressing others is a great abomination. Such great levels of blatant evil scream for Truth and Justice to "breath fire" and "burn" those who think they are somehow above the laws of this universe and basic human values. The recent horrendous luck and disastrous results caused by the Bush crew and cohorts shows us that Truth and Justice never remain defeated forever. Now comes the long-awaited time of "fire and brimstone" to punish those who have used deceptive values and great hypocrisy to unjustly subjugate their fellow souls, while pretending to be "God's Servants." The arrogance of the powerful is again reaping the promised rewards for evil deeds and results. Now we see the unfolding of the true meaning and purpose of "Armageddon," which the Vatican and its cohorts have long confounded because they were the intended targets of these prophecies. Most Christians have long been deceived and deluded into failing to understand that the great deceivers, which ancient prophecies predict the fall of, are the rich and powerful nations, the three faiths of Abraham, and the "three foul spirits" of money, religion and politics.
Now consider how money, religion, and politics are inseparable because of the inescapable trap (bottomless pit) they form. The symbolism of the bottomless pit refers both to an ancient trap (pit) and to its associated deceptions, hence the inability to "get to the bottom of it." We are all trapped in a web of deception woven with money, religion, and politics. The great evils that bedevil us all will never cease until humanity finally awakens, shakes off these strong delusions, and forges a new path to the future.
It's no wonder the Vatican and its many cohorts fear the truth more than anything else. Jews, Christians, and Muslims have long been duped by the great deceivers I warned humanity about over the millennia. What then is the purpose of "faith" but to keep good people from seeking to understand truth and wisdom?
Here is Wisdom !!
Peace...
At 5:21 PM,
Anonymous said…
Astera, this is a wonderful post. Why not turn it into a column and send to your local papers for publication. Who knows, in this day of election politics, they may publish.
O Konenas
At 11:02 PM,
Anonymous said…
Ack, i am with you, foley is a skeez, but his prey was indeed over the age of consent.
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